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MEXICAN RESOURCES: 



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TO AND THROUGH MEXICO. 



BY 



FREDERICK A/ OBER 

AUTHOR OF "travels IN MEXICO," " CAMPS IN THE CARIBBEES," "YOUNG FOLKS' 
* HISTORY OF MEXICO," ETC. 



Intjex of Contents* 



INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Page 36 of Guide. 

INDEX OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS . . Page 36 of Guide. 
CONTENTS OF RESOURCES AND GUIDE Page 37. 



BOSTON: 

ESTES AND LAURIAT. 

1884. 






Copyrij^ht 18S4, 
By Frederick A. Oder. 



All rights reserved. 

Oift. 

Wm. J. Rheea, 

10 fa 1207 



^ 



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PREFATORY. 



The material herein contained was originally intended to be appended to 
the author's " Travels in Mexico," as it in a measure completes and rounds 
out the larger volume ; but the limitations of space and the relentless veto 
of publishers prevented. There is no repetition. The aim of the work is 
to present an exact statement of Mexico's natural resources, drawn from 
reliable statistical works, — such as the Estadistica de la Republica Mexi- 
cana, — collated, and mainly translated, by the author. The facts are given 
without exaggeration, at the same time without depreciation; and the reader 
may draw his own deductions as to Mexico's future from this accurate pres- 
entation of her past. 

The soil, climate, and productions are shown, of every section, with dis- 
tinctive features ; the great coffee, sugar, and cotton districts, with a full 
list of all the precious dye and cabinet woods, delicious fruits, and medicinal 
plants, which make tropical Mexico so valuable a neighbor to the United 
States. 

Under "Mines and Mining"' are given the locations of the great deposits 
of precious metals ; abstracts from the mining laws of Mexico, for the guid- 
ance of those desiring to locate mines; and full information on the exact 
localities of the gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, quicksilver, and coal depos- 
its, and the valuable Mexican minerals. 

An extensive Guide is added, showing every point of importance on every 
railroad running into and through Mexico, with time and distance tables, and 
a list of attractions to tourists. There being no longer any Great West to 
which trade and travel may flow, it is believed that the country of the future 
lies in the South, — in Mexico, Central and South America. 

This book, then, is offered as an indication of what may be found there, 
and as a guide by the way. 

It is not perfect; it is not exhaustive; and it doubtless contains errors 
which it will be the aim of the author to correct in subsequent editions. 

In this first edition, ten thousand copies are issued, at a price nearly nomi- 
nal, so, that it shall have an immediate and wide circulation. 



TOURISTS AND TRAVELERS ! 



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tBCURB AM 

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IN 

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Over onr in irti of nil Irmiiml have been killed or injured by accident, and received cash 
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v.' rrtit* J .: .V, $!..'><» f.i tlmiy .Ijys, secures $:i ,000 111 c.4\e uf ac;iih, SI' •' «cck if disabled. 

J. G. BATTERSON, President. RODNEY DENNIS, Secretary. 

JOHN E. MORRIS, Assistant Secretary. 



MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



AREA. 

The territory of the Mexican Republic extends from north latitude 15° to 32°; 
and from 12° 18' 46" of east longitude, to 18° 6' 15" of west longitude of the meri- 
dian of the City of Mexico, the capital ; this being in west longitude from Green- 
wich, 99° 5' 25." The territory contiguous on the north belongs to the United 
States, and that on the south to Guatemala, while the Gulf of Mexico bathes its 
eastern shores, and the Pacific its western, giving to it a coast-line of nearly 6,000 
miles. Within the above limits is inclosed a superficial area of 1,958,912 square 
kilometres, or 766,000 square miles. Its greatest length, along the axis of the 
territory, mainly represented by the gigantic dorsal ridge of the Sierra Madre, is 
1,970 miles, in a straight line from the northwestern extremity of Lower California 
to the southern border of Chiapas. Its maximum breadth, from east to west, on 
the line of north latitude 26°, is about 750 miles, and its minimum, at the Isthmus 
of Tehuantepec, 140 miles. 

BOUNDARIES. 

In ancient times New Spain included the territory l3'ing between north latitude 
15° and 42°. By the treaty between Spain and the United States fFcb. 22, 1819), 
the boundary was defined as commencing at the mouth of the Sabine River of 
Texas. By the Treaty of Guadalupe (Feb. 2, 1848), the Rio Grande, or Rio Bravo 
del Norte, forms the division between Mexico and the United States, starting at a 
point three leagues from its mouth. By the " Gadsden Purchase " Convention, 
1853, the United States received a further addition of Mexican territory, amounting 
to 45,535 square miles. The dividing line between the two republics now follows 
the course of the Rio Grande, north, to north latitude 31° 47', thence 100 miles 
westward on the same parallel, whence it runs south to parallel 31° 11', follows this 
line to meridian 111° from Greenwich, thence northwest to the Rio Colorado, and 
up that river to the boundary between Upper and Lower California, which is fol- 
lowed to a point south of San Diego, on the Pacific. Prior to the treaty of 1848, 
it was estimated that the area of Mexico was over 1,650,000 square miles; but, by- 
comparison, it will be seen that the United States gained over half this territory, 
by an excess of 100,000 square miles. 



AfEX/CA.y RESOURCES. 



CONFIGURATION OF THE COAST. 

Although the plains of the coast-region are low, the greatest portion of Mexico 
lies high above the sea. Of its 6,000 miles of coast-line, about 1,600 pertain to 
the Atlantic or Gulf of .Mexico; and 4,200 to the Pacific and Gulf of California. 
Very few bays indent the coast. These are. Ascension, Kspiritu Santo, and Chet- 
mul on the Yucatan Peninsula; Man^anillo, on the Pacific; and Magdalena and 
others in Lower California. But the east coast is broken by extensive lagoons, like 
that of Terniinos, and the great Gulf of California separates the peninsula of that 
name from the main portion of Mexico. Of secure harbors, there are none on the 
cast coast, and but very few on the west, — Acapulco, San Ulas and Guaymas, being 
the only inlets with deep water and protecting shores. The ports of Mexico, open 
to foreign commerce, are : on the Pacific, Acapulco, Guaymas, La Paz (Lower 
California), Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Puerto Angel, Salina Cruz, San I51as, Soconusco 
and Tonala. Open to coastwise tr^de, only : Altata, Bacorchuis, Cabo de San 
Lucas, Mulcge, Navachiste, Navidad, Puerto Escondido, Tccoanapa, Topolovampo, 
Valle de Banderas, Vavaros and Zihuatanejo. On the Gulf of Mexico, open to 
foreign commerce, are : Anton Lizardo, Campcche, Carmen, Goatzacoalcos, Frontera, 
Progreso, Tampico, Tuxpan and Vera Cruz. To the coasting-trade : Alvarado, 
Dos Bocas, Nautla, Soto la Marina, Santecomapan and Tecolutla. 

The only peninsulas are Lower California and Yucatan ; which latter belongs to 
Mexico politically, but physically is widely separate from it. Several islands, 
though of little importance, lie off its coasts. 

PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE PLATEAUX. 

Ge.tjerally speaking, the main body of the Mexican territory is a vast table-land, 
a distinct geographical region, traversed by mountain-chains of great length, and 
rising to extraordinary heights. Leaving out Yucatan and contiguous country, we 
may describe Mexico as consisting of a series of plateaux, lying mainly above a 
height of 6,000 feet ; extending from the confines of Guatemala, to the northern 
limit of its boundary-line ; falling abruptly towards the coast on cither hand, and 
descending gradually to the plains of Texas and Arizona in the north. 

In the south, we have the Valley of Oaxaca, 4,500 feet ; next of Pueblo, about 
7,000 feet; of Anahuac, 7,500 feet; and, going north, along the axis of this table- 
land, find Durango at an altitude of 6,600 feet; Chihuahua, 4,600 feet; El Paso, 
3,800 feet, while Santa Fe, New Mexico, again lies at 7,000 feet .above the sea. 
The extent of the plateaux is about 1,500 miles in length, by 500 miles in breadth. 
Of the vast mountain system, forming the escarpment to this elevated region, the 
Sierra Madrc, of the Pacific coast, the great " Mother Range," is the longest con- 
tinuous chain, extending from the Isthmus of Tehuantcpec to Arizona. The 
eastern Cordillera, or chain, runs more directly northward, from its initial point, 
and at a lesser mean elevation, of, perhaps, 6,000 feet ; while the western carries an 
altitude of nearly 10,000 feet. 

Traversing this longitudinal system from cast to west, are several cross-ridges, 
due to igneous action, and containing some of the highest volcanoes in North 
America. Of the numerous mountains that rise conspicuously above the pl.iteaux, 
there arc twenty above 4,000 feet in height, and nine that surpass even 10,000 feet. 



MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, LAKES. 3 

These are, as given by the Mexican geographer, Cubas : Popocatapetl, 5,400 metres; 
Orizaba, 5,295; Iztaccihuatl, 4,775; Nevada de Toluca, 4,440; Cofre de Perote, 
4,089; Zempoaltepetl, 3,668; Ajusco, 3,575; Volcan de Colima, 3,396, and Quinceo, 
3,324 metres. " The most interesting feature of the distriljution of volcanoes," says 
a learned writer, " is that nearly all are situated along the mountain-chains and rows 
of islands which border the shores of the continent, while the interior of these great 
land masses is nearly free from them." This seems to be exceptional in Mexico, 
as the highest and most noted volcanoes, as Popocatapetl, Nevada de Toluca, 
Cofre de Perote and Jorullo, are in the centre of the table-land, and traverse the 
country in a line from west to east. All the Mexican volcanoes are either extinct or 
quiescent; none have been in eruption in the present century, though smoke has 
been seen issuing from the crater of Popocatapetl. 

The Mexican river system, owing to the rugged configuration of the surface, is 
neither varied nor extensive. Most of the rivers are short, and little more than 
impetuous torrents or sluggish bayous, without navigable depth of water. The 
steep mountain-slopes are quickly drained, and the great plateaux rapidly absorb 
the waters that fall into them, owing to their aridity. The surface of the table-land 
is cut up into innumerable barrancas and ravines, some of profound depth, caused 
by the plunging torrents, speeding on their way to the sea. Since the comprehen- 
sive railway system of Mexico has been projected, the canalization of Mexico will 
not be needed, nor will the almost total lack of navigable waters be sorely felt. 
Even the longest streams (such as the Rio Grande, which forms the boundary line 
betvyeen Mexico and Texas, and is about 1,500 miles in length), are navigable for 
but a short distance. There are some twenty rivers above one hundred miles long, 
the principal of which are : the Rio Grande, the Santiago, 500 miles ; the Balsas, 400; 
Yaquis, 375; Grijalva, or Tabasco, 330; Usumacinta, 320; Conchos, 300; Mezqintal, 
310; Panuco, 275; Altar, 260; Nazas, 260; Sinaloa, 250; Fucrte, 240; Mayo, 200; 
Ures, 200; Alvarado, 150; Culiacan, 150; and Goatzcoalcos, 140 miles. 

The number of lakes in Mexico is very small, and may be counted upon one's 
fingers. Leaving out the lagunas, which are merely bodies of salt water separated 
from the Gulf by sand-banks and shoals, we find not more than ten inland lakes. 
These are, the five lakes and ponds of the Valley of Mexico: Tezcoco, Chalco, 
Xochimilco, Xaltocan, and Zumpanzo; Chapala, the largest in Mexico, having an 
estimated area of 1,300 square miles, situated in Jalisco; two or three small bodies 
in the laguna country, in Chihuahua and southwest Coahuila. The lacustrine 
basins, though of sufficient area, are so arid and so exposed to the influences of a 
hot climate, at a great altitude, that evaporation is rapid, and causes the total disap- 
pearance of many streams and even lakes. 

CLIMATE AND SEASONS. 

So intimately connected are climate and vegetation, that to indicate the variations 
of the one is to suggest a corresponding change in the flora of the country. 

Were Mexico nearly level from gulf to ocean, it would have mainly a tropical 
climate, as it lies to a great extent south of the northern tropic ; but, owing to physi- 
cal causes, a large area of its territory enjoys the climate of the temperate zone. 
Rising by successive stages to a height of nearly iS.ooo feet, the temperature, of 
course, undergoes a diminution corresponding with the elevation above the sea. 



4 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

Thus the con'^t, for quite its entire length, is hot, and much of it extremely un- 
healthy. The low-lying region appertaining to it is well designated the tiirra cali- 
enU, or " hot country," in which the humid atmosphere iierpctually nourishes a 
vegetation peculiarly tropical. The mean annual temperature of this climatic zone 
ranges from 75° to 82° (Fahr.), the extremes being from about 55° to 105°. Its 
influence is fell to an apprcximate altitude of about 3,000 feet above the sea. It 
mav be safelv visited, as a rule, between the months of December and April, when 
the heated coast is subject to violent gales called northers — los nortes, which cool 
the air, and dissipate the germs of disease. At an altitude above sea-level of about 
3,ocx) feet, we enter the tierra templcida, the "temperate country," where the average 
mean annual temperature is about 70", and the extremes 50° to 86°. Extremes in 
temperature arc almost unknown in this zone, a delightful coolness prevailing in the 
shade, while the vegetable forms, though not entirely characteristic, blending as 
they do those of both the lower and upper regions, are of most astonishing variety. 

The prevailing climate of the tierra teviplada is warm and moist, the precipitation 
from the clouds from the Gulf (on the eastern coast) being great, and the rainfall 
greater than either in the higher, or the lower zone. The classification is an arbi- 
trary one, and it is difficult to say just at what elevation each zone overlaps and 
merges into the other ; but it may be roughly stated that the tierra caliente extends 
upward from the coast to a vertical height of 3,000 feet, the tcmplada from 3,000 to 
7,000 or 8,000, — the verge of the table-land, — while above that altitude is the 
tierra fria, ox "cold region," with a vegetation varying from the corn and barley, 
and maguey of the lower levels to the cryptogam ia of the mountain-tops. The 
mean annual temperature of the tierra fria, which includes the greater portion of 
the vast plateau, is about 60", the extremes reaching from 75° to the freezing-point. 
Travel on the table-land may be equally agreeable, summer or winter, excepting 
that it is liable to frequent detentions during the rainy season. 

The Mexicans divide the year into two periods : el estio, or the dry season, and la 
estacion de las aguas, or the rainy season. The latter comprises the months of June, 
July, August, and September, while the dry season extends over the greater portion 
of the rest of the year. "The curving shores of Mexico along the Gulf and interior 
highlands gather and hem in an immense body of vapor, which is carried on by the 
trade-winds, and condensed against the cold and lofty inland mountain-peaks which 
rise above the limit of perpetual congelation. This occurs during the dry season, 
whilst the sun is at the south. But when its power increases, as it advances north- 
ward, and until it has long turned b.ick again on its southern course, these vapors are 
dissolved by the hot intertropical air, and descend almost daily in fertilizing showers." 

Electric storms and water-spouts rarely occur, except in certain well-determined 
localities, as at various points on the coast. Earthquakes are infrequent, and sel- 
dom destructive, being rather temHores, or tremblings, than terreniptos, or shakings. 

The duration of the day, in winter, including morning and evening twilight, is 
12 hours 35' to 13 hours 40'; in spring, 14 hours 36' to 15 hours 38'; in summer, 
15 hours 54' to 16 hours 44'; and in autumn, 13 hours 52' to 14 hours 46'. 

ZONES OF VEGETATION. 

Although the indigenous plants of Mexico are by no means few in number, it now 
possesses, undoubtedly, through its Old World acquisitions, the richest economic 



CLIMATE AND VEGETATION. 5 

flora of any country on the globe. This is owing to the fact that a goodly portion 
of Mexico lies within the tropics, and at the same time attains to a great elevation 
above the sea; in other words, allitiide confers upon this elevated region beneath 
the northern tropic all the variety of climate that one would meet with in journey- 
ing from the equator to the pole. The vegetable world, says the German writer 
Sartorius, is of course always determined by the nature of the soil; on a calcareous 
soil we find a different description of plants to those which are met with in trachyte 
or porphyry ; for instance, in lime we have chiefly fan palms and malvacecc : but the 
conditions which the elevation above the sea produce, the isothermal line, would 
everywhere call forth analogous appearances. 

The Old World has sent here its apples, pears, cherries, peaches, oranges, figs, 
grapes, and pomegranates ; by their side flourish the East Indian mangoes, papaws, 
the American ananas (6 species), mammees, aguacates, spondias, the fruit of the 
passion-flower, excellent cactus fruits, gourds of all kinds, and many others. 

"An Indian village of the temperate zone, where coast and hill country meet and 
blend, presents a truly delightful picture, surrounded by heavily-laden orange-trees 
and banana-stalks, by fruits of every imaginable hue, and by the blossomhig shrubs 
which invariably follow the steps of man." 

In the lower, or coast, regions, as high as 1,500 feet, we have coconuts, cacao, 
vanilla, cotton, cloves, nutmegs, peppers, and the other spices of commerce, besides 
all the fruits of the tropical countries of the East and West. Up to 4,000 feet grow 
sugar and coffee, indigo, rice, tea, banana, and tobacco, besides the productive edible 
roots : manioc, yam, arum, arrow-root, sweet potato, curcuma and ginger, and all the 
fruits of America, Central Asia, and Barbary. From this point upwards begins the 
cultivation of the cerealia of the Old World, such as barley and wheat, of the ole- 
aginous plants (olive, poppy, rape, and linseed) of pulse and kitchen vegetables, of 
grapes for wine, and every kind of European fruit. The mulberry tree finds its cli- 
mate at the height of from 3,000 to 6,000 feet above the sea. 

From the following partial catalogue of the fruits and vegetables cultivated in 
Mexico, one may be led to believe in its agricultural possibilities. It was Humboldt 
who estimated the value of the gold and silver of the Mexican mines at the begin- 
ning of this century, vast as it was, as less by almost a fourth than that of the ter- 
ritorial produce. Mexico, as its national statistician very truly remarks, has the 
markets of all the world constantly open for the excess of her agricultural produc- 
tions, for, such is the varied nature of her soil and climate, that there is scarcely a 
plant that grows, or a fruit that ripens, or a grain that matures its seed, that may not 
find a congenial home within her limits. Plants of the different zones, from frigid 
to torrid, are all found in the ascent from coast to table-land, and indicate to a nicety 
the different degrees of altitude and temperature. 

Not only can she export many of the cereals, but she has almost a monopoly of 
several peculiar products of the trojMcs, and, owing to the combined advantages of 
topography and climate, can supply foreign markets with immense quantities of such 
valuable articles as coffee, cacao, henequen, tobacco, vanilla, and precious woods. 

MEXICO'S ECONOMIC FLORA 

Under this distinctive title, while . no attempt has been made to compile an 
exhaustive botanical catalogue, — which would be quite unnecessary, even if prac- 



6 AfEXIC.hV RESOi'RCES. 

ticable, — the author here presents statistics valuable to those interested in the 
industrial possibililies of Mexico. This information has been obtained almost 
entirely from Mexican sources, and, though perhaps incomplete, is at least an 
approach to that accuracy so desirable in a statement of Mexico's material re- 
sources, and valuable as an offset to the misrepresentations of misinformed or 
prejudiced writers. 

Many of the names in the following list, being native to the country, generally 
Aztec, are not found in any Spanish dictionary ; but all the most important woods, 
fruits, etc., are given, with not only the indigenous appellations, but their Knglish 
equivalents. The flora of Mexico is rich and varied, embracing, says its statisti- 
cian, over ten thousand species, known and analyzed. Ilcr woods are valuable, 
a great number of her native plants have medicinal qualities, and her flowers are 
beautiful and of exquisite fragrance. 

These lists comprise mainly those Mexican plants valuable for their properties, 
and those interesting from flowering at a great altitude, and typical of the table- 
lands ; a strictly scientific classification has not been adopted, as this would have been 
impracticable. 

TIMBER AND CONSTRUCTION WOODS. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Ahuehuetc. 


Cypress. 


Majahua, 


(Bark is used for cord- 


Aile. 






age). 


Alamo. 


Popl.-ir {3 species). 


Mangle. 


Mangrove. 


Acana. 


A hard, reddish wood. 


Mango. 


Mango. 


Amate. 




Nogal. 


\Valnut (2 sp>ecies). 


Capire. 


Black and yellow. 


Olmo. 


Elm. 


C.'^pulin. 


Tree with fruit resem- 


Ocuna. 






bling cherry. 


Palo Dulce, de Maria, 


Licorice, violet, mul- 


Capulincillo. 


Do. do. 


morado mora, bravo, 


berry, redwood, iron- 


Ccdro. 


Cedar (3 species). 


Colorado y de hicrro. 


wood, etc. 


CipriSs. 


Cypress. 


Pareta. 




Ceiba 6 pochoie. 


Silk cotton. 


Pino. 


While, resinous, and red 


Castaiio. 


Chestnut. 




pine. 


Qm\i. 




Pinavete. 




Ciruelo. 


Plum. 


Peru. 




Encino. 


Oak (white, black, and 


Quiebm hacha. 


r.reak-axe. 




yellow). 


Roble (bianco y encino. 


Oak (while and ever- 


Fresno. 


Ash. 




green). 


Fmnillo. 


Little Ash. 


Sabino. 


S.ibin. 


Frijolillo. 




Sauz, verde, bianco, y 


Willow (green, wliite. 


Guachipilino. 




mexicano. 


Mexican). 


Cuamuchil. 




Suchil. 




GuiUima. 




Sabicu. 




Garrapala. 


Tick-tree. 


' Tamarindo. 


Tamarind. 


Gaimpaiilla. 


Little tick-tree. 


Taray. 


Tamarisk. 


Haya. 


Beech. 


Tampinccrin. 




Huitzache. 




Tcpehuajc. 




Hobo. 




1 TlaliKuahuitl. 




Hatta. 




Tcpozan. 




Jahua. 




1 Tecomaie. 


Gourd-tree. 


Mamey. 


Mammce-trec. 


, Zaya. 




MadroHo. 


Strawbcrry-lree. 


1 Zopilote. 





THE TROPICAL FORESTS. 7 

We find in profusion, in the tropical forests of southern Mexico, those valuable 
woods which are only seen beneath the ahuost vertical sun of the Tropics. It will 
be seen that Mexico has not less tliau twenty varieties of wood, useful in the joiner- 
work, and for interior furnishing, while about sixty arc enumerated as in use for 
timber. In effect, Mexico lias all the useful timber-trees of the North, with all 
the added precious woods of the South. Among woods noted for their fineness of 
grain, and susceptibility to polish, may be mentioned: ebony, lignum-vitas, ma- 
hogany, manchinille, rosewood, sapota and violet-wood. Among trees famous for 
their size, and the durability of their wood, are the cedars, cypresses, ceibas, 
or silk-cottons, chestnuts, oaks, pines, tamarinds, tamarisks, etc., etc., — a long list. 

CABINET AND DYE WOODS. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Avellano. 


Hazel. 


Primavera. 


Primrose. 


Almendro. 


Almond. 


Zapote bianco. 


Sapota (white). 


Balsamo. 


Balsam. 


Zapote prieto. 


Sapota (blackish). 


Boa. 




Anil. 


Indigo. 


Caoba. 


Mahogany. 


Agrita. 




Caobilla. 


Little Mahogany 


Achiote. 


Amatto. 


Ebano. 


Ebony. 


Brasil. 


Brazil-wood. 


Granadillo. 


Passion flower. 


Campeche. 


Logwood. 


Guachichil. 


(A hard wood) 


Cascalote. 




Guamuchil. 




Ebano verde. 


Green ebony. 


Ilamo. 




Huitzache (fruit). 




Linalo^. 


Aloes-tree. 


Lentisco. 


Mastic. 


Laurel. 


Laurel. 


Mangle. 


Mangrove. 


Lloron (Sauce) . 


Weeping willow. 


Palo amarillo. 


Fustic. 


Maiizanilla. 


Manchinille. 


Palo mulato. 


Tawney wood. 


Ojo de Pajaro. 


Bird's-eye. 


Timbra. 


Mountain hyssop. 


Palo morado. 


Violet wood. 


Azalran. 


Saffron. 


Palo de rosa. 


Rosewood. 


Orchilla. 


Archil. 


Palo santo. 


Lignum vitae. 


Rubia {,raiz de tz'tita). 


Madder. 



GUM, RE.SIN, AND OIL-YIELDING PLANTS. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Almdcigo. 


Mastic. 


Alegria, 


Oily grain. 


Drago. 


Dragon-tree. 


Almendro (fruit). 


Almond. 


Mezquite. 


(Its gum is equal to 


Cacahuate. 


Pea-nut. 




gum-arabic.) 


Chia. 


Lime-leaved sage. 


Hule. 


Caoutchouc. 


Coacoyutl (fruit). 




Ambar amarillo. 


Amber (yellow). 


Coco (fruit). 


Coco palm. 


Copal. 


Copal. 


Nogal (fruit). 


Walnut. 


Copalchi. 


Liquid amber. 


Nuez mosc.ida. 


Nutmeg. 


Pino de trementina. 


Tvirpentine-tree. 


Olivo (fruit). 


Olive. 


Abeto. 


Silver-tree. 


Linaza. 


Linseed. 


Acebuche. 


Wild olive. 


Nabo. 


Rape. 


Ajonjoli. 


Beneseed. 







MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



CEREALS, ALIMENTAL PLAxNTS, ETC. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Apio. 


Celery. 


Chile. 


Red pepper(many kinds). 


Aloincil or AlcachoCa. 


Artichoke 


Escarola (lechuga china) . 


Endive. 


Acciicra. 


Sorrel. 


Esp^rrago. 


Asparagus. 


Accilun.i. 


Olives. 


Espinaca. 


Spinage. 


Acelgx 


Beet. 


Frijole. 


Beans; French beans. 


Alciparnu 


C.iper. 


Garbanzo. 


Chick pea. 


Ajo. 


Garlic. 


H.iba. 


Garden beans. 


Alvcrjon. 


Vetch. 


Hcjoics. 


String beans. 


Arroz. 


Rice. 


Lechuga. 


Lettuce. 


BrocolL 


Broccoli. 


Lenlcja. 


Lentil. 


Bcrengena. 


Egg-plant 


Maguey. 


American agave. 


Brichuela. 




Maiz. 


Corn (every variety). 


Cacao. 


Cocoa. 


Nabo. 


Rape. 


Cafe. 


Coffee. 


Name. 




Comino. 


Cumin Seed. 


Papa. 


Potato. 


Col 6 repollo. 


Cabbage. 


Pcpino. 


Cucumber. 


Coliflor. 


Cauliflower. 


Pucrro. 


Leek. 


Calab.T2as. 


Pumpkins, gourds, etc. 


PcrejiU 


Parsley. 


CaRa de azucar. 


Sugar-cane. 


PimJenta. 


Pepper. 


Cardo. 


Garden artichoke. 


Ribano. 


Radish. 


Camotc 


Sweet potato. 


Trigo. 


Wheat. 


Ccb.ida. 


Barley. 


Verdolaga 


Pursl..in. 


Ccbolla. 


Onion. 


Yuca 6 guacamote. 


Yucca. 


Chayote. 




Zanahoria. 


Carrot. 



TEXTILES. 



Mexican Name. 


Engush. 


Mexican Na.me. 


English. 


Algodon. 
Can.amo. 
Henequcn. 
LcUe. 


Cotton. 
Hemp. 
Sisal hemp. 
Aloe fibre. 


Lino. 

Ramitf — Ramee. 

Seda vegeLiI 


Flax. 

China griss. 
Vegetable silk. 



It will only be necessary to call attention to the following list, to have it made 
evident that there is hardly a fruit in the known world that has not found, or cannot 
find, a congenial home in Mexico. 

The most valuable, and those least known to dwellers in the north, will be found 
described after their respective appellations. To mention all would be to enumerate 
nearly every variety cultivated in both h.ibitable zones, and far exceed the limits of 
this work, or, indeed, of any book not specially devoted to horticulture. 

While every fruit can be grown in Mexico, it is a well-known fact that those 
indigenous to other countries do not here preserve their orii'.inal fine flavor, tlie 
peaches, pears, etc., being hard, coarse, and, in a measure, flavorless. 



FRUITS OF FOREST AND GARDEN. 



THE FRUITS OF MEXICO. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Ahuacate. 


A delicious American 


Madrono. 


Strawberry-tree. 




fruit. 


Melon comun. 


Melon. 


Albdrchigo. 


Peach. 


Melon de agua. 


Water-melon. 


Albericoque. 


Apricot. 


Melon de olor. 


Musk-melon. 


Anona. 


Custard apple. 


Melon zapote. 


Sapote-melon. 


Arrayan. 


Myrtle. 


Mamey. 


Mammee. 


Brcva. 


Variety of fig. 


Nanche. 




Caimito bianco. 




Naranja de China. 


Orange (China). 


Caimito inorado. 




Naranja agria. 


Orange (sour). 


Capulin, bianco y negro. 


American cherry. 


Nuez de Castilla. 


Spanish walnut. 


Cereza. 


Cherry. 


Nispero. 


Medlar-tree. 


Coco. 


Coco-nut. 


Frisco. 


A kind of peach. 


Castana. 


Chestnut. 


Pina. 


Pine-nut. 


Cidra. 


Citron. 


Poma rosa. 


Rose-apple. 


Ciruela. 


Plums (all varieties) . 


Peras (de nueve clases). 


Pears (nine varieties). 


Cuaginicuil. 




PingUica. 


Oil-nut. 


Chabacano. 


A kind of apricot. 


Papaya. 


Papaw. 


Chiiimoya. 




Pitahaya. 


Giant cactus. 


Chicozapote. 




Pachona. 




Damasco. 


Damson. 


Platano grande. 


Plantain tree. 


Durazno. 


Peach. 


Platano guineo. 


Plantain (Guinea). 


Datil. 


Date. 


Platano manilo. 


Plantain (Manilla). 


Fresa. 


Strawberry. 


Platano manzano. 


Plantain (Apple). 


Grosella. 


Currant. , 


Sandia. 


A Water-melon. 


Garambullo. 




Tejocote. 




Guanavana. 




Tuna blanca. 


Tuna (White), Indian 


Granada China. 


Pomegranate. 




fig, or prickly-pear. 


Guinda. 


A cherry. 


Tuna amarilla. 


Tuna (yellow). 


Guayaba. 


Guava. 


Tuna encarnada. 


Tuna (pink). 


Higo. 


Indian fig. 


Tuna cardona. 


Cochineal cactus. 


Hilama. 


A chirimoya. 


Uva. 


Grape (all varieties). 


Hicaco. 




Uva blanca. 


Grape (white). 


Jicama. 


Farinaceous root. 


Uva moscatel. 


Grape (fo.v). 


Lima. 


Lime. 


Uva negra. 


Grape (black). 


Limon agrio. 


Lemon (sour). 


Uva silvestre. 


Grape (wild). 


Limon dulce. 


Lemon (sweet). 


Zarzamora. 


Blackberry. 


Limoncillo. 


Little lemon. 


Zapote bianco. 


Sapola (white). 


Mango. 


Mango. 


Zapote negro. 


Sapota (black). 


Manzanas. 


Apples (seven varieties) . 


Zapote amarillo. 


Sapota (yellow). 


Membrillo. 


Quince. 


Zapotillo. 


Little sapota. 


Mora. 


Mulberry. 







10 



MEXICAN RESOURCES. 
MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



Mexican Name. 


Engush. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Adormidcra. 


Poppy. 


Marihuana. 






An-icahuite. 




Manzanilla. 


Chamomile. 




AinapoU. 


Poppy. 


Mejorana. 


Sweet marjoram. 




Ajcnjo. 


Wormwood. 


Most.iza. 


Mustard. 




Apio. 


Celcr>-. 


Morera. 


Mulberry. 




ArlcmcsA, 


Mug-wort. 


Maravilla. 


Heliotrope. 




AlbAhaca. 


Sweet basil. 


Mezquite. 






Alhufcma. 


Lavender. 


Mixtamazuchil. 






Allca. 


Marshmallow. 


Ncldo. 






Achicori.1. 




Orozuz. 


Licorice. 




Alfilcrillo. 




Ojo dc perico. 


Parrot's eye. 




Array an. 


.Myrtle. 


Palo mulato del salvaje. 






Anis. 


Anise. 


Poleo. 


Pennyroyal. 




Azafran del pais. 


Saffron (native). 


Pcrcjil. 


Parsley. 




Ajcnjabe. 


Wild mustard. 


Peonia. 


Peony. 




Bctonica. 


Beiony. 


Pimicnta. 


Pepper. 




Borraja. 


Borage. 


Papaloquelite. 






Bclciio. 


Hcr.bane. 


Pata de Leon. 


Lion's foot. 




Bcrro. 


Waicr-cress. 


Pastora. 






Culantrlllo. 


Maiden's hair. 


Parctaria. 






Canchalahua. 




Pipitzahua. 






Cicula. 


Hemlock. 


Ruda. 


Rue. 




Ccntaura. 


Centaury. 


Rosa dc PAscua. 


Easter-rose. 




Capitancja. 




Rosa laurel. 






Cohombro. 


Snake cucumber. 


Quina. 


Cinchona. 




Calahuala. 


Calagur\la. 


Romero. 


Rosemary. 




Canafislula. 


Cassia fistula. 


Sasafras. 


S.issafras. 




Canucla. 


Fescue grass. 


Siempreviva. 


House-leek (red 


and 


Cuchalate. 






yellow). 




Calab.-iza chicayota. 


Calabash. 


Sabina. 


Savin. 




Contrayerba. 




S.ilvia, 


Sage. 




Cardo santo. 


Holy thistle. 


Sauco bianco. . 


Elder. 




Cebadilla. 


Cevadilla. 


Sanguinaria. 


Knot-grass. 




Damiana. 




Tamarindo. 


Tamarind. 




Digital. 


Foxglove. 


Tianguispcpctla. 






Escorzonera. 


Viper-root. 


Trompetilla. 






Espinosilla. 




Torongil. 


Balm. 




Fresno. 


Ash. 


Tomillo. 






Cenciana. 


Gentian. 


Trebol. 


Trefoil. 




Gordolobo. 


Mullein. 


Tlacopatle. 






Cuayacan. 


Lignum vitae. 


Tc' silvesire. 


Wild tea. 




Hinojo. 


Fennel. 


Tilla. 


Lime-tree. 




Iliguerilla. 


Castoroil plant. 


Tabaco. 


Tobacco. 




Incienso. 


Incense (gum). 


Vainila. 


Vanilla. 




Ipecacuana. 


Ipec.-icuanha. 


Valeriana. 


Valerian. 




Jalapa. 


J.ilap. 


Verbena. 


Vervain. 




Lupulo. 


Hops. 


Verdolaga. 


Purslane. 




laurel. 


Laurel. 


Verba buena. 


Mint. 




I.inaza. 


Flaxseed. 


Verba del polio. 






I.imniicillo. 


I.inic. 


Verba del zapo. 






I.cngtia de cicrro. 


Hart's tongue. 


Verba de la golondrina. 






Manrubio. 




Voloxuchil. 






Matiucrao. 


Cress. 


Zarzaparilla. 


Sarsaparilla. 




Malva. 


Malk>w. 


Zumpanitl. 







NATIVE AND CULTIVATED FLOWERS. 



II 



FLOWERS 'and ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 

Following is a partial list of the flowers, mainly European, cultivated in the 
Mexican gardens. 



Mexican Name. 


English. 


Mexican Name. 


English. 


Acacia comun. 


Acacia. 


Dulcamara. 


Bittersweet. 


Acanto. 


Thistle. 


Encina olorosa. 


Oily evergreen oak. 


Adelfa. 


Rose-bay. 


Espino bianco. 


Whitethorn. 


Ajenjo. 


Wormwood. 


Espino rosado. 


Buckthorn. 


Aleli. 


Gillillower.' 


Floripundo. 


Magnolia. 


Ambrosia. 


Buckthorn. 


Geranio olorosa. 


CranesbilL 


Anana. 


Pmeapple. 


Helecho. 


Fern-filex. 


Alhucema. 


Lavender. 


Heliotrope. 


Heliotrope. 


Andmona. 


Anemones. 


Heptaica. 


Liverwort. 


Apio. 


Celery. 


Immortal. 


Inmortal. 


Argentina. 


Satin cinquefoil. 


Jacinto. 


Hyacinth (four species). 


Artemisa. 


Artemisia. 


Lirio bianco. 


Florentine iris. 


Azahar de naranjo. 


Orange flower. 


Lila blanca. 


Lilac (white). 


Azahar de limon. 


Lemon flower. 


Madre-selva. 


Honeysuckle. 


Azahar de lima. 


Lime flower. 


Margarita. 




Azahar de cidra. 


Citron flower. 


Magnolia. 


Magnolia. 


Azahar de toronja. 


Shaddoc flower. 


Mirto. 


Myrtle. 


Azahar de Chirimoya 


Anona flower. 


Narciso. 


Dafibdil. 


Balsamina. 


Balsam-apple. 


Nardo. 


Tuberose. 


Bet6nica. 


Betony. 


Peonia. 


Peony. 


Cacaloxochitl. 




Reseda. 




Centaura. 


Centaury. 


Rosas. 


Roses (every variety) . 


Calendula. 


Marigold. 


Sardonia. 


Crow-foot. 


Camelia. 


Camelia. 


Serpentaria, 


Snake-root. 


Campanilla. 


Bell-flower. 


Tomillo. 


Thyme. 


Capuchina. 


Nasturtium. 


Toronjil. 


Balm. 


Clavel rojo. 


Pink (red). 


Trinitaria. 


Pansy. 


Clavel bianco. 


Pink (white). 


Tuberosa. 


Tuberose. 


Clavellina. 


Mignonette. 


Tulipan. 


Tulip. 


Chicharo or Guisante. 


Sweet-pea. 


Valeriana. 


Valerian. 


Dalias. 


Dahlias. 


Violetas. 


Violets (all species). 



Among them any flowers which embellish the meads and adorn the gardens of 
Mexico, says the old historian Clavigero, there are some worthy to be mentioned, 
either from their singular beauty, or their extraordinary forms. 

The Floripundo merits the first mention, on account of its size, a beautiful white 
and odoriferous flower, more than eight inches in length and four in diameter. 
The Jollocxochitl, or flower-of-the-heart, is so fragrant that a single one will fill a 
whole house with its perfume, while the Coatzoiitecoxochiil, or viper's-head, is of 
incomparable beauty, and highly esteemed by the Mexicans. The Occloxochitl, or 
tiger-flower, is so called, because spotted like an ocelot, or tiger; the Cacaloxochitl, 
or raven-flower, (the frangipanni), is very odorous, and is made by the Spaniards 
into conserves ; the Clicmpoalxochitl, is the Indian carnation ; the Xiloxochitl, a. 
beautiful red flower, and the Macphalxochitl, or flower-of-the-hand, a most wonderful 



12 MEXICAX RESOURCES. 

production of nature, in the form of a bird's foot, or the hand of an ape. Not a 
flower blossoms in Mexico that has not an expressive Aiitec name, so well versed 
were the aborigines of that country in the lore of the field and forest. 

" Besides these, and innumerable other flowers," adds the historian, " which the 
ancient Mexicans delighted to cultivate, the land has been enriched with all those 
which could be transported from Asia and Europe, until the gardens of Mexico 
rival those of the Old World." 

The pastures are abundant and nutritious, and in several states, as in Sonora, 
Tamaulipas and Lower California, arc fragrant with aromatic herbs, like the sweet 
marjoram and wild thyme. 

Fournier, the eminent botanist, finds in Mexico six hundred and thirty-eight 
varieties of gra.sses, three hundred and seventy-six of which, it is said, occur in no 
other land. Of the rest, eighty-two are found in the United States. 

AZTEC AGRICULTURE, 

At the time Mexico was invaded by the Spaniards, was in an advanced state, 
even if we compare it with European progress at the opening of the fifteenth 
century. 

When, according to tradition, the Toltccs were banished from their native coun- 
try, — or that in which they had sojourned for a long period, — and began their 
journey southward, they tarried at certain places, and there erected houses and 
planted cotton and corn; and in this manner leisurely approached Tula, where they 
remained many years, and eventually reached the valley of Mexico. The Aztecs, 
upon their arrival, or at a period subsequent, incorporated into their nation the 
remains of the scattered Toltec tribes, and gained thereby many arts and processes 
hitherto unknown to them. It was probably after the founding of the Aztec capi- 
tal, Tenochtitlan, in 1325, that they made use of the chinavipas, or floating gardens, 
U])on which they planted vegetables necessary for their subsistence. 

In preparing their land for cultivation, they first cut down the trees, and then 
burned it over, the ashes being, so far as is known, their only fertilizer. They 
enclosed their fields with walls and hedges of agave, and labored industriously to 
keep them in good condition. Their implements were few, and of the rudest 
description, being but a wooden shovel or spade, the coatl, or hoe, of copjicr, with a 
handle of wood, and a rude knife or sickle of the same metal. In jilanting, they 
made a hole with a sharpened stick, into which the seed was dropped, and covered 
with the foot. They carefully protected their fields from birds and predatory 
animals, by means of watchmen, and, especially in the tierra calieute, — practised 
irrigation in a most economical and scientific manner. They built granaries and 
stored vast quantities of corn — their only cereal; besides which, they had beans, 
chile, magueys, pumpkins and gourds, and later, cacao, vanilla, and many other 
native fruits. While providing themselves with the necessaries of life, they did not 
neglect the cultivation of those plants usually regarded by the savage as useless: 
their gardens of flowers and odoriferous plants were the wonder of the Spaniards 
when they first entered the valley. The markets of Mexico, as the Aztecs became 
firmly fixed in their valley fortress, and as they extended their conquests to the 
coasts on either side, became filled with the vegetable ])roduction of every zone and 
climate ; as attested by the letters of Cortes, liernal Diaz, and others. 



AZTEC AGRICULTURE. 1 3 

The Mexicans then had long since passed the dividing line between the rude 
nomads of the plains and forest, and the patient cultivator of the soil ; they were 
even more than mere herdsmen, had passed beyond the pastoral period, and were 
firmly fixed in possession of estates. Without beasts of burden, they were obliged 
to train the lower classes to carry neavy loads, and labor in the field was per- 
formed solely by human hands. But they, — even in their necessitous condition, — 
were more advanced than many nations of Europe, and even than the English, 
if we may believe one of the earliest of our books on agriculture. 

The range of food-plants on the table-land of Mexico was not broad, but the 
people utilized them all. Maize was their chief reliance, growing everywhere from 
coast to mountain-top ; and from it they prepared a variety of foods and drinks 
perfectly astonishing. They clothed themselves with cotton, from the tropic coast- 
belt, drank beverages prepared from the cacao [chocolatl], the maguey and the 
maize, and drew upon the sylvan fauna and flora for a multitude of simple articles 
of sustenance. While they had no fowls, except the wild turkeys and curassows 
(crax alector), they obtained eggs from iguanas, turtles, alligators, and some native 
birds ; and meat from quail, rabbits, deer, alcos, or native dogs, peccaries, and other 
animals indigenous to the country. Agriculture proper, however, in its most re- 
stricted sense, — the tillage of the soil, — furnished them with their principal 
aliment. Aside from tradition, and the records of the picture-writings, — which 
some may question, and we will not call in testimony, — "ineffaceable evidence 
of a high state of agriculture exists all over Mexico." One may still find, on the 
savannas of the coast, as they extend up towards the hills and mountains, " traces 
of a dense agricultural population ; of tribes who had passed away long before the 
Spanish invasion ; for, when these plains are laid bare by fire, it w:ill be seen that 
the entire region was formed into terraces, by means of walls of masonry, with 
every precaution against the ravages of the tropical rains. . . . All is now 
concealed by trees, or tall grass ; for miles, scarcely a hut is built, where formerly 
every foot of land was as Hiligently cultivated as the banks of the Nile, or the 
Euphrates, in Solomon's time." 

"In the other Hemisphere," says the historian Herrera, in the quaint English 
version of his time, "there were no dogs, asses, sheep, goats, swine, cats, horses, 
mules, camels, nor elephants ; no oranges, lemons, pomegranates, figs, quince, 
olives, melons, vines, sugar, wheat, nor rice." 

By indicating what the aboriginal inhabitants of America lacked, we may be 
better able to show what was accomplished after the Europeans had gained pos- 
session of the country. Every variety of soil and climate having been bestowed 
upon it, a natural dwelling-place could always be found for whatever fruit or 
vegetable was introduced from the Old World. 

Hernando Cortes wrote to his sovereign, shortly after the siege of Mexico : " All 
the plants of Spain thrive admirably in this land We shall not proceed here as 
we have done in the isles (West Indies), where we have neglected cultivation, and 
de.stroyed the inhabitants." Unfortunately, both for Spain and for M'exico, the 
home-government pursued a policy, after the subjugation of New Spain, diametri- 
cally opposite to that suggested and advised by Cortes and the conquerors. 

Of little avail were the entreaties of those who had the prosperity of Mexico at 
heart, and would have brought out the latent energies of her people. They were 
not allowed to encourage any industries which would conflict with those of Spain. 



14 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



REAL ESTATE IN MEXICO. 

It is as true now as twenty years ago, when Sartorius (a German by birth, a 
keen observer, and long a resident in Mexico), wrote, that the soil of the 
Rcpul)lic of Mexico is, for the most part, in the hands of |)rivate individuals and 
corporations; comparatively little is State property, and this little chiefly in the 
northern districts. Mexico is a conquered country ; the original conquerors selected 
large estates, and were confirmed in the possession of the same by the Spanish 
government. The original Indian possessors were included in these grants, as 
serfs; but they were suffered to retain the soil they cultivated, on paying rent. 
Subsequently a law was promulgated for the protection of the Indians, that the 
country round each village, to the distance of si.\ hundred yards, measured from 
the church, should belong to the community. Many villages and towns which had 
fought as allies against the Aztecs, not only retained their lands, but were even 
rewarded with the confiscated lands of their neighbors. Churches and convents 
were endowed with landed estates, and whenever a spot was discovered without an 
owner, some .Spanish official, soldier, or priest, soon managed to obtain it as a fief. 
The soil being thus partitioned out, it was natural for large estates to become the 
property of individuals, especially in the northern, less populous provinces, where 
the conquest gradually proceeded, and the leaders had leisure to acquire the con- 
quered lands for themselves and their followers. The large estates in Mexico are 
luiciendas, which, when intended for agriculture, are called haciciuias de labor, and 
when for cattle-breeding, hacicudas dc gatiado. 

The agriculturists and graziers of Mexico belong by descent to the Creoles and 
Mestizos, and are its most independent class. " They are," continues Sartorius, 
"conservative, attached to old habits, to patriarchal customs, to discipline and 
order in the house, religious, honest, and hospitable, but at the same time frugal." 

SEED-TIME AND HARVEST. 

In some states, as Vera Cruz. Oaxaca, Tabasco, Guerrero, Jalisco, and Mexico, 
three harvests may be annually securc<l. The yield varies from a return of forty 
for one planted, to three hundred ; but the general return is about a hundred and 
fifty for one. In the hot climate of the coast and in some portions of the interior 
seeds and grains may be kept from eight to ten months, in the temperate region 
from eighteen months to two years, and in the cold regions as long as four years. 

The rainy season commences early in June, and lasts until the autumnal equinox. 
Frosts are frequent on the northern frontier in winter, and in other localities of 
great elevation. Hailstorms also occur in the colder regions, but not with fre- 
quency. Throughout the country it is'more necessary to guard against drouth than 
excessive wet. Irrigation is needed, and largely used when practicable, all over the 
countrj". Should, the rainy season be greatly retarded, the crops suffer, and arc 
sometimes entirely lost. The hour of work in the hot climates are, for a day labor- 
er, from five in the morning to eleven, and from three in the afternoon till seven; 
in the temperate and cold regions they are from morning to evening twilight, with 
two to three hours' rest for breakfast and dinner ; on some haciendas the laborers 
have daily tasks which they complete at their discretion. The workmen arc paid 
weekly, every Saturday evening or Sunday morning. The men received, before the 



SEED-TIME AxYD HARVEST. 1 5 

late advent of railways raised the wages in the districts through which they run, 
from twenty-five to thirty-seven cents (with or without rations) ; and boys from 
twelve to eighteen. Women are rarely, though occasionally, employed in the fields, 
but prepare and carry to the laborers their meals. A ration (7-acion) consists of corn 
[inaiz), beans [frijoUs), salt, and chile, or red pepper, in sufficient quantity. 

AGRICULTURE ON THE TABLE-LAND. 

Sartorius, to whom we again refer as the best authority on the agriculture of 
Me.\ico, and one commended by Mexicans of high standing, has the following on 
this subject : The immense plateau.x extending from the sixteenth to the thirtieth 
degrees of north latitude, which are from five thousand to eight thousand feet above 
the sea, produce nowhere tropical plants. The plants of the Old World are here 
met with, and maize, maguey, and the cactus for breeding the cochineal. 

The husbandmen either resort to artificial irrigation or sow during the rainy sea- 
son. In the beautiful valleys of Chiapes and Oaxaca, Perote, Puebla, Atlisco, Tlas- 
cala, Mexico, and Toluca, in the rich lowlands of Rio Grande de Santiago, and in 
many plains of the northern States, the rivers and brooks, sometimes even the lakes, 
are employed for artificial irrigation ; and, when this does not suffice, by means of 
immense dikes elevated valleys have been converted into lakes, which fill during the 
rainy season, and supply the fields afterwards with necessary moisture. Many 
haciendas are furnished with expensive aqueducts which frequently convey the water 
for miles. All these estates grow wheat and maize, but on a larger scale than most 
European estates. The soil is plowed for wheat in October, the grain is sowed in 
November, and the water admitted to the furrows. The seed soon shoots up, is 
watered twice more during the winter, twice in spring, and ripens in May, or June. 

The threshing is performed by means of horses or mules, treading out the grain, 
in the immediate vicinity of the fields. Many of the estates have their own mills, 
and send the flour to the towns, where the consumption of fine bread is greater in 
proportion than in Europe, while the native population of the villages consume 
chiefly maize bread, tortilla. Rye is cultivated here and there, oats nowhere, but 
barley to a considerable extent. Various sorts of maize are grown, which are, 
doubtless, varieties of one species, but must be selected according to climate and 
soil. If, as is occasionally the case, the early crop of maize suffers from the cold, 
barley is planted in the rainy season to make up for it, by which means the forage 
keeps down in price ; for barley, with the exception of the small quantity lately re- 
quired for brewing (now rapidly increasing) is used exclusively for feeding. Of the 
summer plants grown on the estates none are so universal as beans, which are in 
great request throughout the country. To these may be added horse beans, lentils, 
pistachios, chile [capsiaim anniitii), batate or sweet potato, and occasionally rape 
and the potato. Vine cultivation is increasing in the north. The plateaux are rich 
in numerous species of cactus, which nature produces in the strangest forms. 

The soil is rarely manured, the mineral components being such that their decom- 
position by air and water causes extraordinary fertility, and is constantly renewed. 
Many districts have been sown every year for centuries with maize, a plant that 
exhausts the soil more than any other, and still one constantly sees rich crops. If 
we r.egard the plants of Tlascala, Cholula, Toluca, and others, we find the soil 
covered with decomposed volcanic matter, or ashes and lava, which by gradual dc- 



1 6 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

composition maintain its fertility. In many districts less favored by nature, the soil 
is lightly manured by flocks of sheep and goats. The manure from the stables of 
horses and mules is heaped up in the yard as rubbish, and in autumn burnt. Only 
horses and mules, such as are required for immediate use, are kept in stables, while 
horned cattle never have shelter. Their forage is almost always dry chopped straw, 
mixed with maize or barley, while the o.xcn sometimes get maize straw, and in the 
rainy season green fodder, besides the grass of the pasture, which is insufficient 
during th: working season. With rare exceptions, oxen are used for ploughing ; 
large estates often rec|uire two hundred yoke or more. The plow is still the 
ancient Roman one used in Spain, which merely furrows the soil, instead of turning 
it up. The harrow is not much used, a thorn-bush replacing it. 

It is only during the maize harvest that the Indian women are actively employed 
in the field, it being considered more as a holiday, as all wish to be in at the viuda 
(the widow), the last ear that comes from the field. A tall stalk with the finest fruit 
is selected, ornamented with ribbons and plumes, and conveyed in triumphant pro- 
cession to the master's house, as an indication of the harvest being completed. A 
dance, or at least some bottles of brandy, reward the attention of the servants. On 
all the haciendas the woik is performed by day laborers, who live on the estate, and 
serve voluntarily. They are not boarded, but receive their pay in money, and usu- 
ally every week a ration of maize and pulse. Should they be hindered from work- 
ing by sickness, or if the master makes special advances for weddings, christenings, 
or burials, they are forced to incur debt, and are naturally obliged to work it off. 
The wages on the plateaux, about two reales, or twenty-five cents, are doubled and 
trebled on the coast. During harvest-time laborers are procured from the Indian 
villages, who come for a week or fortnight, with their provisions and tools, and are 
u-iually conducted by a cafitan, appointed by the village alcade. These people are 
willing, moderate, and enduring, but are only to be obtained when they have finished 
harvesting in their own little plantations. The land belonging to most of the haci- 
endas is too extensive for the proj^rietor to cultivate even the fourth j)art of it. He 
therefore devotes the remainder of it to cattle-breeding, or lets it out to farmers. 

IN THE TIERRA CALIENTE, OR HOT COAST REGION. 

** Agriculture on the table-lands," says the observ.Tnt writer last quoted, and whom 
we shall follow a little farther, "has its prescribed limits, according to the soil and 
the climate. The European may easily fancy himself in his own country; the corn- 
fields, the meadows, and market gardens, even the orchards, are those of temperate 
zones. On crossing the mountain ridges which encircle the plateaux, be it to the 
cxst or west, the whole j)hysiognomy of the country assumes a decided tropical 
appearance; the heights are wooded; instead of the fine short Ali)ine grass, the 
plains arc covered with taller grasses; the ground is overshadowed with creeping 
plants and brushwood ; and agriculture obtains produce of a very different kind. 
The estates of the east coast differ from those of the west coast. In the latter 
all the i>crcnnial plants require artificial irrigation, whilst the coast lands of the Gulf, 
near the mountains, have rain throughout the year. Maize, /ryo/t-j, tobacco, rice, 
cotton, and indigo arc cultivated as summer plants, that is to say, at the commence- 
ment of the rainy season, and require no further irrigation ; the sugar-cane, coffee, 
cocoa, vanilla, rice, manioc, and the banana, mubl have irrigable land on the west 
side ; on the east side in a few places only. 



THE TIERRA CAUENTE, OR HOT COAST REGION. \J 

"On ihe table-land the soil must l)e plowed for sowing; in the tierra calicnk the 
I)low is met with on the larger plantations only. The rancheros plant their summer 
produce mostly in forest land, where no plow can be employed. In the dry season 
they hew down all the trees and bushes. The wood is allowed to dry for some 
months, and then set fire to. When the rain sets in, the grain is sown without the 
soil being turned up. With an iron-pointed stick holes are bored in the ground, 
and the seed-corn cast in. Maize, ])cans, rice, cotton, etc., are sown in this manner, 
and tobacco transplanted. In a few days the young seed shoots up, and with it 
innumerable weeds. Cotton thrives there only where the winter months are without 
rain, especially on the southern and ocean coasts, and on the west side of the Cor- 
dilleras to the height of three thousand feet. On the east side the winter in the 
neighborhood of the mountains is too damp. The cotton is spoiled by dew and 
rain, in consequence of which it is planted in the hot coast regions only. 

"The indolence of the inhabitants is wonderful. A few dozen bananas, a small 
field with manioc and maize, afford nourishment without much labor. The coast 
rivers abound in excellent fish and turtle, and there are whole forests of palms 
affordmg palm-wine and oil. The small planter, or ranchero, of the warmer dis- 
tricts, besides his maize field, ha,s usually some plots of land with beans, chile, 
tomatoes, yams, and bananas, which furnish him with a c[uantity of nourishment 
The edible arum root bears from ten to fifteen pounds' weight of bulbs to each 
plant, the yam [dioscorea) develops monstrous roots weighing from fifty to eighty 
pounds, the batata, or sweet potato, produces its meally bulb three or four months 
after being planted, and the manioc {Jatropha manihot) gives a C[uantity of excellent 
starch, while the bananas and plantain yield more fruit (upon which alone the family 
could subsist) than they can consume. 

" The rancheros of the tierra caliente live mostly in frail huts of bamboo and reeds, 
open for the passage of cool breezes, and shaded by bananas and plantains. Beneath 
the roof swings a hammock, and very few, indeed, are the domestic utensils. They 
can seldom read or write. When they intend marrying, they must know part of the 
Catechism by heart, therefore, when the time comes, be crammed up to the mark. 
They are not fond of hard work, nor have they any need of it, as they have plenty 
to live upon if they devote but a few hours a day to agricultural labor. They are 
good hunters, know the haunts of the deer and wild boar, and track the wild turkey. 
The men tan the deer-skins remarkably well, dye and make their clothes of them; 
the women spin and weave co-tton. During half the year there is little or nothing 
to be done in the field. The chase is then attended tos or the fibres of the long- 
leaved brofitelia pita, or of the maguey, are prepared, cordage and ropes made of it, 
and sent to market. In other localities they collect copal, storax, and Peruvian 
balsam, the fruits of the oil-palm, pimento or vanilla. Many days, however, are 
passed extended on the mat, playing the guitar, sleeping, or staring up at the blue 
sky." To counterbalance the many advantages of life in the tierra rfj/zV^/f^ there are 
the many dangers attending it, especially to the unacclimated, resulting ^rom noxious 
disease peculiar to the tropic coast, the poisonous insects and reptiles, and the very 
monotony of an isolated existence. 

HORSE AND CATTLE RAISING. 

It is not owing solely to the fact that the large haciendas are too vast to cultivate, 
that so many Mexicans devote themselves to the herdsman's life. It is a pursuit of 



1 8 AfEX/CAA' RESOURCES. 

which they are fond, a love for which has Ijccn inherited, both by the Spaniard and 
the Mexican of the mixed race. The Indian rarely takes to the raising of cattle, 
horses, or sheep, both on account of poverty and natural disinclination. Cattle 
thrive best in the tierra calieute, while horses, sheep, and goats rarely do their best 
except in the upland region. In the case of the latter, the great number of prickly 
plants become entangled in their wool, and during the rainy season the humidity is 
such that the foot-rot and other diseases carry them off. The cattle arc left entirely 
to nature, and seek their own pasture during the rainy season on the savannas, 
during the dry months in the shady forest. The different pasture-grounds of a 
hacienda are called potreros, and are under the care of herdsmen {vaqiieros), each 
man having usually from five hundred to eight hundred head to look after. Although 
wild, the cattle do not shun man, and are easily attracted to the vaquero by means 
of salt, a bag of which he always carries at his saddle-bow. 

All the Mexican cowherds are mounted, partly because it is impossible to survey 
such extensive tracts on foot, partly because they often require a fleet horse to catch 
str.igglcrs. P'rcqucntly the animals injure themselves, the bulls fight, a sharp thorn, 
or a beast of prey (jaguar, puma, or wolf) wounds them, and, as in the hot regions, 
the flesh-fly lays its eggs in the wound, the assistance of the herdsman is indisjjensa- 
ble. He therefore constantly has his lasso with him, made of leather or the fibres 
of the maguey. At full gallop he pursues the flying animal, casts the noose about 
its neck, quickly turns his horse's head, and drags the struggling prisoner to the 
nearest tree, to which it is soon bound. In a moment, he has dismounted, has 
cast a second noose about the hind-feet, and with one jerk the heaviest beast is ex- 
tended on the ground ; the hind and fore feet are quickly tied together, and now the 
surgical operation can be performed at leisure. The vaquero endures the hardest 
toil for very little pay, living a life of constant fatigue, and is in the saddle by night 
and by day. He always lives in the middle of his pasture-grounds, near a watering- 
place, and has a strong inclosure of stone or logs {corral), into which the herd can 
be driven. The calves are taken thither when some days old, and tied up under a 
shed. Instinct leads the cows twice a day to the enclosure to give their young the 
required nourishment. Part of the milk is withdrawn, and this is done more for 
the sake of taming both cow and calf, and to accustom them to man, than for the 
sake of the milk. After two months the calf is set at liberty, but it now remains, 
especially if it be driven once a week with the herd to receive a little salt. 

Many estates there are, throughout Mexico, that possess from ten thousand to 
twenty thousand head of cattle, and it frequently happens that, owing to the diffi- 
culty of obtaining herdsmen, whole herds run wild, and are not readily caught. It 
is indispensable in the raising of cattle that they be driven into corral at least once 
a year, and must often be treated to salt. The yearly branding of calves and cattle 
is called herraJero, and is made an important festival. The great profit is in the 
sale of the oxen and old cows to the butchers, as a great quantity of meat is con- 
sumed in th^ country. The ranchero usually slaughters his fat cattle himself, and 
makes seshta or tasajo of the meat. This is done by cutting all the flesh into strips 
about four inches broad and two thick and several feet in length. It is then well 
•prinklcd with fine salt, and with the juice of lemons, the whole mass being wrapped 
up over night in the hide. The next day, as soon as the sun is high enough, the 
strips arc hung upon liner, and thoroughly dried by the air and sun. The process 
is finished in some days, and the meat is then packed in bales, and sent to market. 



HORSES, CATTLE, SHEEP, COATS, AND SWINE. 19 

Vast quantities of this dried meat are consumed, for it is savory, keeps well, and 
is soon prepared, it being only necessary to lay a piece on the coals and roast it. 

In the shrubless plains of Zacateces, San Luis Potosi, Durango, Coahuila, and 
Chihuahua, continues the authority upon whom we are mainly depending for this 
information, the soil is everywhere poorly manured. In the rainy season, from June 
till October, these plains are covered with tall grass, but in December all begins to 
fade, the pools in the hollow dry up, and in the warmest months, April and May, 
water is frequently not met with for days. In these deserts the horses and mules are 
chiefly bred. The haciendas are seldom sufficiently furnished with water, and are 
forced to have recourse to tanks, in which it is collected, or to bore deep wells. 

It is infinitely more ditficult to breed horses than cattle. The latter are impelled 
by instinct to seek for watering-places, which they find in the deepest ravines, often 
wandering several leagues a day to a river or lake, and always returning before 
night to the favorite pasture. The horses, on the contrary, must be driven every 
day to water, as they would otherwise die of thirst. The mares always keep to- 
gether in troops of forty or si.xty (in atajos) being led by a stallion, who often trots 
round the troop to hurry those that lag behind, and who fights furiously with any 
other stallion that may chance to approach. 

The herdsmen of these troops are the boldest horsemen in existence. They lead 
a poor life, as their salary rarely exceeds five dollars a month ; they live in wretched 
huts, and seldom behold a village, or enjoy the pleasure of society. Half their time 
is passed in the saddle, and their delight is to race with other herdsmen, to cast the 
lasso, and to mount the untamed horses and mules. 

Good stallions are dear, and command high prices. Mules are bred on the north- 
ern plateaux, and require more attention than horses. Four-year fillies are bought 
up from the pasture at from eight to ten dollars each, mules from twenty-five to 
thirty dollars. The large estates have often from eight thousand to ten thousand 
horses and mules, and usually effect their sales in winter, in the larger towns. 

Sheep-breeding is carried on, in most districts, less for the wool than for the tallow 
and flesh. The race is bad, and the wool inferior, although the extensive dry pas- 
tures, the mountain-ridges covered with aromatic herbs, and the equable climate, 
would be in the highest degree favorable to an improved breed. From egotism and 
petty jealousy, the Spaniards never introduced the Merino breed to the colonies. It 
is on record, however, that Cortez was the first to do this very thing, after he had 
secured the estate and marquisate of Oaxaca. Just as they prohibited the culture 
of the vine, of olives, and mulberries in Mexico, in order to retain for the mother- 
country the trade in wine, oil, and silk, so were they determined to keep the trade 
in fine cloth in their own hands, without reflecting that the traffic in fine wool would 
have brought them in a far more considerable profit. In recent years, however, 
some of the more enterprising Mexicans have procured superior ewes and rams 
from Saxony and the Pyrenees, and the effect is already becoming apparent. To- 
wards the end of the rainy season the flocks are collected, the fat wethers and old 
ewes selected and slaughtered, and the flesh stewed down in a range of large coppers. 
The firm tallow, in masses of about two hundred pounds, is packed in sheep skins, 
and forwarded to the cities and mining districts, where it meets with a ready sale. 
The slaughtering period {mataitza) usually lasts a month, and is a holiday for the 
shepherds who have only to perform the slaughtering, skinning, and cutting up, re- 
ceiving as extra wages the heads and intestines of the victims, and fatten themselves 



20 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

and families for a long time with heads and livers. The cooked meat from which 
the fat has been extracted {carne de chito) lies there in complete mountains after a 
tnatanza; it is bought up by dealers, and sold in the villages. 

Goats and swine are also reared in great numbers, both, also, for the sake of their 
fat. The steep, craggy hills and mountains, covered with thorns and crccping- 
jjlants, afford them a perfect paradise, where they are fattened with greater celerity 
than in the slums of great cities. The milk either of goat or cow is not utilized to 
any extent in Mexico ; as a consequence, butter is scarce, and cheese mostly im- 
jjorted. The chief jjrofit of goats is in the tallow, a fat he-goat yielding about 
twelve, and a she-goat ten pounds of tallow. In Jalisco and Michoacan many estates 
fatten a thousand swine annually, and sell them in droves to the soap-boilers and 
ham-saltcrs of Toluca and Perotc. 



IRRIGATION. 

By the establishing of a school of agriculture, and by the encouraging of farmers 
to procure the best breeds of cattle, etc., the " Department of Public ^Vorks," in 
Mexico, has in mind the thorough cultivation of Mexican soil, by the best and 
most improved processes. 

It offers some inducements to immigrants, but prefers those of the Latin race, 
as more readily assimilating with the native population. But its attention should 
rather be directed towards a system of irrigation, which, by a network of arteries, 
or by means of artesian wells, should feed the vast deserted tracks with water, — 
that life-blood of agriculture. The native Indians once possessed extensive irri- 
gating works, but they were destroyed by the Spaniards, who, in addition to this, 
eventually deprived the high valleys and plateaux of their forest coverings; and 
the soil, thus exposed to a tropical sun, without protection of undergrowth or 
timber, was carried away by descending torrents. This is the condition of the 
great Valley of Mexico, whose surrounding hills are almost entirely denuded of 
soil as well as of vegetation. The great success resulting from irrigation, in Califor- 
nia, New Mexico, and other portions of the lost territory of Mexico, should remind 
the Mexicans of the great prestige of their ancestors, and incite them to the 
re-building of ancient acequias and canals, under the care of the State. 

"If all the country," says Sefior Cubas, "were populated, even in proportion to 
Guanajuato, the census of the Republic would reach 58,000,000, and then agricul- 
ural products would be so much greater that they would constitute an element 
of enormous wealth." Within the territory, at present, there are more than 5,700 
haciendas, and 13,800 ranchos ; the value of landed property, based simply on its 
valuation for taxes, was, in 1S76, $176,397,300, without taking into account streams, 
gr.-izing-lands, orchards, and other rural property. 

These estimates are taken from the great government report of Mexico, — Esta- 
diitica dc la Kfpuhlica Afixicana, — which has been the basis of the preceding 
article, and which wc have every reason to believe approximately accurate. From 
the same source wc also obtain the 



ANNUAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS. 



21 



AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS FOR THE YEAR 1880. 



Kilograms. 


Value. 


12,650,460 


$543,283 


25.177.76° 


6,605,831 


3,050,140 


153,643 


1. 121.375 


57.410 


1,175.950 


127,268 


192,246 


358,002 


15,166,588 


1,248,244 


70,090.550 


8,761,317 


1,443,002 


1,140,050 


7,961,808 


2^060,382 


232,334.023 


4,403,742 


102,337 


23,500 


54,128,140 


4,196,482 


210,188,526 


8,496,211 


11,485,422 


471.07s 


15,722,561 


477,010 


40,080,000 


■ 3,352,000 


2,231,890 


154,053 


2,102,625 


83,043 


5,309,563,939 


112,164,424 


10,557,738 


457,592 


196,245,600 


1,962,879 


7,504,990 


2,006,153 


338,704,093 


17,436.345 


55, "8 


651,958 


488,022 


149.4S9 


6,569,524.903 


$'77,451,986 



Chickling vetch 

Cotton 

Beneseed {sesainiim orientate) 

Canary seed 

Anise 

Indigo 

Rice 

Sugar 

Cacao 

Coffee 

Barley 

Cumin seed 

Capsicum 

Beans 

Chick peas 

Beans (garden) 

Sisal hemp 

Aloe fibref {ixile) 

Lentil 

Maize 

Potatoes 

Straw , 

Tobacco 

Wheat 

Vanilla 

Sarsaparilla 

Total 



ANNUAL MOVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. 



Olive oil 

Rapeseed oil : . 

Beneseed oil 

Linseed oil 

Brandy 

Rum 

Beer 

Flour 

Chocolate 

Sacks, ropes, etc 

Various articles 

Maguey liquor 

Maguey wine 

Str.iw and palm-leaf hats and other fabrics 

Ordinary pulque 

Fine pulque 

Common pulque 

While wine 

Red wine 

Various liquors 

Coco wine 

Palm wine 

Total 



24,815 


$27,629 


434.400 


278,292 


216,300 


IS&.277 


608,798 


317.734 


531.576 


I '4.453 


19,317,608 


2,052,150 


10,058,636 


768,703 


124,057,653 


13.463.833 


671,278 


73 '.367 


835.277 


222,702 


1,868,048 


433.526 


9,016,000 


1,176,000 


S, '52,764 


570,646 


745,449 


370,730 


76,430,097 


323,232 


100,213,127 


3.935.995 


10,511,073 


330,301 


2,212,209 


1,154,196 


3.529.7'8 


1,508,475 


2,144.255 


941,021 


131,985 


34,341 


589.467 


51,253 


369,300,533 


$28,962,861 



22 MEXICAN RESOC/RCES. 



SOME SPECIAL PRODUCTS. 

"The merciful hand of rrovidcncc," says Ix>mprii.rc ( " Xolcs on Mexico," 1S62), 
" has bestowed on the Mexicans a magnificent land, abounding in resources of all 
kinds, — a land where none ought to be poor, and where misery ought to be un- 
known, — a land whose products and riches of every kind are abundant, and as 
varied as they are rich. It is a country endowed to profusion with every gift that 
man can desire or envy; all the metals from gold to lead; every sort of climate 
from perpetual snow to trojjical heat, and inconceivable fertility." 

In order to indicate the vast range of food and industrial plants found in Mexico, 
the writer has selected some of the more important, — mainly tropical produc- 
tions, — which are presented as worthy of attention. They are arranged in alpha- 
betical order : — 

Arrinvroot, from both species, Maranta anittdinacca, and Tacca fiiinaiiJiJa, finds 
in certain sections of Mexico, a soil and climate adapted to its successful produc- 
tion. The first-mentioned species, a native of South America, may have been 
cultivated by the aborigines of Central America. In the Wast Indies, in some 
islands, great attention is paid to its cultivation, with good results. Although not 
an object of much attention in Mexico, it should form an important article of 
export, and is herewith recommended to the agriculturists of the ticrra caliente. 

Banana and Plantain, Musa sapicntnm and Musa paradisiaca. — Everywhere in 
the hot coast region, and on the lower borders of "the temperate land," wher- 
ever cultivation is carried on, may be seen the banana and its sister-plant, the 
plantain. The first, sw-eet, luscious, and equally good raw or cooked, is not, per- 
haps, more valuable than the second, which forms the tropical aborigines' staple 
article of diet. There is little reason to doubt that the plantain is indigenous to 
tropical America, and was cultivated by the aboriginal inhabitants long before the 
coming of Columbus. The many varieties of the banana are the result of long 
cultivation, and the successful introduction into America of jjlants from Africa and 
China. Regarding its productiveness, we may repeat that oft-quoted statement of 
Humboldt, that thirty-three pounds of wheat and ninety-nine pounds of potatoes, 
require the same space of ground to grow upon, as will produce four thousand 
pounds of bananas. From a year to eighteen months is required to ripen the fruit 
from the first planting, but as suckers spring up all about the original stock, there 
is afterwards no labor, except that of gathering the immense bunches of fruit, 
some of which attain to eighty pounds weight. These plants, like the agave and 
coco-palm, are useful to man in inany ways ; for besides producing delicious fruit, 
they furnish material, from stalk and leaves, fi>r i^aper, cordage, etc. 

It is said that the first banana was brought into America by a Dominican, in 
1516, from the Canaries to Haiti, from whence it was transplanted to the Continent. 
The name Platano, of the .Spanish, is supposed to be derived from Palan, its most 
ancient name ; Banana, the French, from its native Guinea appellation, and Musa, 
the Italian, is taken from the Arabic. 

ParUy, Spanish cebada, introduced by the Spaniards, growing in the cold region, 
or tierra fria, to a higher altitude than mai/e, though now used principally as 
fodder, in a green state, it will undoubtedly attain to great importance in the 
brewing industries of the Republic, and as an article of food. The estmiated value 
of its production in iSSo, was ab(jve $400,000, constantly increasing. This most 



SOME SPECIAL PRODUCTS. 



2Z 



ancient of a!l grains, and tlic most hardy, which has been found in the lake-dwellings 
of Switzerland, in deposits belonging to the stone-period, was not in cultivation 
(so far as is known), among the Aztecs. 

Beans and Chile. — Mexico has not a monopoly of these products, though their 
consumption is enormous, the first {frijoles) constituting the chief aliment of the 
poorer classes, next to corn, and the \diiiQr, c/iile {Capsicum afimim), z.\\ invariable 
accompaniment. Of the first, Mexico is estimated to have produced, in 1880, over 
200 kilograms, worth $8,406,211; and of chile, $4,196,482. 

Cacao, Thcobroma cacao. — The tree producing the cacao, or chocolate-bean, flour- 
'ishes in the humid climate of the tierra caliente, especially in the State of Tabasco, 
and produces an important article of export. The production in 1879, based on 
information received by the bureau of statistics in Mexico, was of the value of over 
a million dollars. The tree, which requires shade as well as moisture, in its early 
years, yields fruit at about the same age as the orange. Its cultivation is simple, 
and the preparation of the seed for export, requires little labor, though watchful 
care is necessary. 

Cactacecc. — As Mexico belongs to the botanical region of the cacti and peppers, 
it is not strange that we find here the cactus family flourishing in greatest vigor. 
Of the five hundred species found in America, Mexico has her full share, and they 
form, sometimes, the only vegetation of certain vast plains, which without them 
would be level wastes, without an object to relieve the eye. Some of them, as the 
Cerei, rise to the height of sixty feet, their straight, rigid, and spiny trunks support- 
ing great branches like candelabra, whence their name, candelabra cacti; others 
creep along the ground. The great, globular echinocacti frequently attain to a 
weight of two hundred pounds. All produce brilliant flowers ; all are covered with 
spines, and are strangely grotesque in shape. The cochineal cactus (described in 
"Travels in Mexico," p. 529) was formerly of great value; but, since the discovery 
of analine dyes, the culture of cochineal has almost entirely ceased. Besides the 
edible fruits yielded by several species, as the opuntia, the nopal, etc., the cactacece 
minister to man in many indirect ways. The nopal figures prominently in Mexican 
history, for it was upon a cactus (nopal), that the Aztecs beheld their traditional 
eagle perched, when they at last reached Tenochtitlan, and it may be seen emblazoned 
on the national banner of the Mexicans, and stamped on all their coins. The giant 
Betahaya supplies in the north the place of the organo, or organ cactus in the south. 

Cassava (Jatropha manihot and yatropha Janipka), mandioca, or manioc, a plant of 
tropical America long in use by the native inhabitants. Of these two species one, 
yatropha manihot, is a deadly poison if eaten in the green state, but if the juice is 
evaporated by exposure to the sun, or artificial heat, may be eaten with impunity. 
The tubers require a dry soil not much elevated, and ripen in about eight months 
from time of planting, which is done by cuttings. The cassava, or native bread, is 
prepared by peeling off the dark outer rind, grinding the roots after a thorough 
washing, and baking the " farine " in ihin cakes over a hot fire. Tapioca is prepared 
from it ; the tuber is rich in starch. 

Chirimoya (Anotta tripetala), an American fruit, said to surpass in flavor any 
grown in Europe. A native of Peru, but grown in iMexico, attaining to large size. 
This fruit is heart-shaped, the rind green, covered with small tubercles, and inclos- 
ing a snow-white, juicy pulp, filled with black kernels. One writer calls it a "mas- 
terpiece of nature;" another declares that its taste is quite incomparable. Both 
fruit and blossoms e.xhale a most delightful odor. 



24 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

Civa (the Erythroxylon coca), a narcotic and stimulant plant, the leaves of which 
arc used by the natives of Brazil, liolivia, and Peru. Its home is in the sultry val- 
leys of the eastern slopes of tiic Peruvian and Bolivian Andes. The shrub bears a 
foliage of lustrous green and white flowers ripening into small scarlet berries. 
When the leaves are brittle enough to break upon being bent, they are stripped 
from the plant, dried in the sun, and packed in sacks. Coca lessens the desire for 
food, and bestows upon the person using it in moderate quantities great powers of 
endurance. Especially is it valuable in the ascent of great elevations, preventing 
the difficulty of respiration. The writer has used it with apparently good effect in 
an ascent of Popocatapetl, in iS8i, when he easily climbed to the peak of that 
mighty volcano, experiencing but little uneasiness from the rarefaction of the atmos- 
phere. Xo record exists of its first discovery, but it was in use in the temjiles of the 
Incas, when I'izarro invaded Peru, and the priests chewed coca while i)erforming 
their rites. It is estimated that 30,000,000 pounds of the dried leaf arc annually 
consumed ; and it has been suggested that its use be more widely extended as a sub- 
stitute for tea and coffee. There is no reason why coca should not be successfully 
grown on the slopes of the Mexican mountains, where climate, altitude, and all the 
conditions of growth can be found in perfection. 

The Coco-pahn. — To the dweller in the coast country of Mexico, there is no more 
valuable product, be it tree or vegetable, than the coco-palm, cocos tiuci/cra. There 
is always danger of confusion in speaking of three totally dissimilar products: the 
cacao, coca, and cocoa. The true spelling of this word should be without the term- 
inal letter, a. Coco : its Latin name is cocos, its Spanish, coco, and its French, also. 
The late Charles Kingsley used this orthography, and there is little doubt that cocoa 
is wrong, and a corruption of cacao, which is the name of the Theobroma cacao. In 
order to avoid confusion, we shall speak of it by its correct appellation, coco. 

It is ever found growing by the sea, loving salt water and salt sea-breezes more 
than the perfumed gales from out the mountain valleys. 

It may be seen droo|)ing over a beach of golden sand, and forming a living barrier 
between beach and cultivated land, or dotting the valleys, or standing u]) lone and 
ragged upon a wind-swept promontory ; but it is almost within sound of the surf- 
beat of the waves. It may stray away towards the mountains, may climb a few hills, 
and may shelter a little village of huts beneath the waving crowns of itself and 
companions at some distance from the sea; but in its luxuriance and beauty and 
profusion it is only found near the coast. Other palms replace it in the mountains; 
other palms wander far away, and revel in shade and moisture and cool breezes; but 
this palm, as if ever mindful of the restless waves that bore its parent nut to these 
shores, delights to keep them company. And the coco loves man, delighting in the 
proximity of habitations and cultivated fields. Do you meet with a negro hut, alone 
or with others clustered about it, no matter how humble, dilapidated, obscure, 
above it droops the feathery crown of a palm, its leaves caressing it, its nuts hang- 
ing in abundance ready to drop at the will of the owner. 

Broad valleys stretch along the shore, extending far back into the hills, one wav- 
ing sea of yellow cane, with no object to relieve the billowy plain but the coco-jjalm 
and its more aspiring brother, the towering palmiste. About the sugar-house and 
the dwelling of the owner and the overseer, it is scattered in picturesque groups. 
The coco is to the tropics what the pine is to the North, the elm to New England, the 
nuignolia to the South. 



TROPICAL PLANTS. 25 

Coffee. — First found in the forests of 'Abyssinia, beneath the tropic sun of Africa, 
coffee was not known to the world beyond till about four hundred years ago. 
Its cultivation was then confined to a small Arabian province, but its high value 
induced the Dutch to introduce it into Java, in 1690, and as a rare plant into the 
botanical gardens of Amsterdam. The New World obtained its supply from a sin- 
gle plant, which a French naval officer carried to Martinique, in the West Indies, in 
1720, depriving himself of water, when parching with thirst, that the tender shoot 
might survive. From this one tree, it is said, all the American tropical colonies 
obtained their seed, which has multiplied to such an extent that Brazil, the West 
Indies, and Mexico supply us with as much as Java and Ceylon. These are at pres- 
ent the great coffee countries, the product of Mocha being small in quantity. 

It is at an elevation of about four thousand feet that the coffee best thrives, for 
here it gets shade and moisture, — which the lowlands cannot invariably supply, — 
and a temperature changing but slightly from year to year. When a grove is 
started in the primitive forest, many of the large trees are left standing to give the 
required shade ; and when commenced on the low lands where there are no trees, 
broad-leaved plants, like the banana, are planted by its side to protect from the sun. 
The tree naturally attains a height of about twenty feet, but in the plantations is 
pruned down, forming with its straight, horizontal branches a beautiful dome-shaped 
mass of green. The leaves are broad and glossy green, sometimes concealing 
. the " berries," or fruit, which cluster along the slender twigs and branches. The 
coffee is shaped like a small bean, and two of these beans are found side by side, 
adhering by their flat surface, enclosed in a pulp covered by an outside skin, form- 
ing a berry the size of a cherry. This is at first green, but ripens into a bright red 
when it is gathered. 

A coffee-plantation in these upland valleys is one of the most beautiful things out 
of doors. Wide straight paths are opened through it, above which are the dark- 
green coffee-trees gleaming with berries, or filling the air with perfumed gales from 
clouels of snowy blossoms. 

If there is one production over another that has especial value in Mexico, it is the 
coffee. Nowhere in the United States can it be successfully raised, there being no 
suitable combination of soil, climate, and allihide, for its perfect growth. The range 
of the coffee-plant extends only between the isothermals of 25° north and 30° south 
of the equator, and it cannot be successfully grown in places where the temperature 
is ever below 55°. Hence this leaves the United States out in the cold, and gives, 
in the Western Hemisphere, Mexico, the West Indies, and a great portion of South 
America, exclusive control of coffee-cultivation. 

" When grown at the extremes of climate, it is small, generally much lighter, and 
the actual number of berries is far less than that grown in a genial climate. Expe- 
rience Jias proved that from latitute 6° to 12° an elevation of from three thousand 
to four thousand feet is the most suited, whilst beyond this, five hundred feet of 
elevation should be allowed for every degree of latitude." Difference in locality of 
production has little to do w'ith the flavor of coffee, notwithstanding a general belief 
to the contrary. In Mexico, for instance, the coffee of Colima and Michoacan is de- 
clared to surpass that of Cordova and Tabasco ; but this superiority, if it exists, is 
owing to better preparation for the market, or curing, and perhaps to a more thorough 
cultivation. The quantity of rain, says one writer, is found to exercise a material 
effect upon the quality of the crop, and a dry climate produces a better flavored 
and more "colory"bcan than that where excessive moisture prevails. 



26 A/EA7C.LV RESOURCES. 

The coffcc-trec, says the same authority, flourishes in hilly districts, where its 
roots can be kept dry, wliiie its leaves arc refreshed \\\\\\ frequent showers. 

*' Rocky ground, with rich, decomposed mouUl in the tissures, agrees best with it. 
Though it would grow to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, yet it is usually kept 
down by pruning to that of five feet, for increasing its productiveness, as well as 
for the convenience of cropping. It begins to yield the third year, but is not gen- 
crallv in full bearing until the fifth. In coffee husbandry, the plants should be 
placed eight feet apart, as the trees throw out extensive horizontal branches." 
The berry must not be picked till fully ripe, then dried in the sun, with the pulp 
and parchment attached, then passed between wooden rollers, or brayed in a mortar, 
to remove the dried envelope, and winnowed. 

The coffee-plants should be first started in a nursery, whence they are trans- 
planted to the ground assigned for the grove, and during their early years protected 
from the heat of the sun by bananas and plantains. 

Coffee improves in aroma by keeping, and although it loses in weight, it gains 
in color, and quality. Most of the Mexican coffee is sold direct from the planta- 
tions, and is not allowed to arrive at that perfect state acquired by the " Uld Gov- 
ernment " Java, which possesses a spicy aroma the light-colored berries do not. 

In the opening years of this century, coffee was not very extensively cultivated in 
Brazil, but that country supplies to the United States the greatest proportion used. 
"The tirst cargo of coffee from Brazil entered at the port of Salem, Mass., and con- 
sisted of 1,522 bags. In iS7i,the United Stales consumed 316,609,765 pounds of 
coffee, 244,809.600 pounds of which came from Brazil, 27,776,000 from Java, Sumatra, 
etc., and but 6,728,165 from Central American, Mexican, and other foreign ports." 
In 1S74, according to the Consular Report, the value of coffee exported from Mexico 
to the United States was $543,352; the amount of coffee exported from Vera Cruz, 
to all ports in 1876, was $1,146,845. For the year ending 18S0, the total value of 
coffee export from Mexico, was $2,060,382. To show the great value of the coffee 
crop to us, and to illustrate the growth of this special industry, the following fig- 
ures are appended, obtained from the United States consulate in Vera Cruz. Total 
amount of coffee exported from Mexico to the United States only, from March 31, 
1S76, to March 31, 1881 : — 

Year ending March 31, 1S77 $660,68582 

Year ending March 31, 1S7S 1,320,612 58 

Year ending March 31, 1879 1,064,862 17 

Year ending .March 3t, i88o 1,490,171 87 

"S'ear ending March 31, iSSi 1,289,716 16 

All the coast states of Southern Mexico, on both the Gulf and Pacific, have excel- 
lent soil and climate for the growing of coffee ; but the most accessible arc the 
Eastern, and the coffee region of Vera Cruz is the best known, while portions of 
Colima and Michoacan may contain the most favored combinations for success. 

Coffee will certainly form the most remunerative of Mexico's agricultural pro- 
ducts, as there is a vast area especially adapted to its culture, which lies adjacent to 
ports connected by short steam-lines with the United States, and penetrated by the 
great railroads running southward. 



COFFEE AND COTTON. 27 

Cotton. — Spanish Algodon, from Arabic Alqoton, indigenous plant of Mexico, 
found there by the Spaniards. Indians clothed with cotton garments were first seen 
by Columbus, near the mainland, off the east coast of Yucatan, in 1502, nearly two 
thousand years after the first mention of cotton fibre by Herodotus. Traditions are 
not lacking as to the ancient use of cotton by the Toltecs and the Aztecs, the date 
even of the adoption by the latter tribe of cotton garments in place of those of skin, 
being entered in their annals. As to the Toltecs, it was entered in their sacred book 
that Quetzalcoatl, god of the air, grew cotton of all colors in his gardens, and 
taught them its many uses. Cotton garments, quilted armor of cotton, and beauti- 
ful mantles were woven by the Indians of the plateaux from this fibre. The breast- 
plates of cotton were proof against Indian arrows, and were finally adopted by the 
conquerors themselves, while many articles of apparel were often woven of a fine- 
ness and almost lustre of silk. In cotton and cacao seeds the inhabitants of the 
lowlands, such as had not gold and precious stones, paid their tribute to the Aztec 
rulers. Throughout the Republic of Mexico, there were, even as at the present day, 
primitive looms, and the manufacture of cotton goods was among the first industries, 
in point of time, as it is now in importance, in that country. 

The original home of cotton being in the tropical zone, no one can say that this 
is not another plant native to the soil of Mexico, and which, like maize, may have 
started from this point, and have been carried north and south. Although it is 
within the century past that cotton has acquired importance in the manufactures of 
the world, yet we know that the aboriginal inhabitants of tropical America, the more 
civilized of them, were acquainted with its uses at least five hundred years ago. 

It is one of those plants, says Humboldt, of which the cultivation was as an- 
cient among the Aztecs as that of the maize and the maguey. Cotton thrives only 
where the winter months are without rain, says Sartorius. The districts of Tlacotal- 
pam, Cuzamalopan, and Tustla, in the State of Vera Cruz, and the coast of Yucatan, 
produce the best cotton on the east side. It is cultivated in only twelve States of the 
Republic, and the amount produced is not sufficient for home consumption, large 
quantities being imported from the United States. There is little doubt that vast 
tracts of uncultivated land exist which could be made to yield bountiful crops of 
cotton, such as the extensive plains of the south of Michoacan, the district of INIina, 
in Guerrero, the savannas of Vera Cruz, the extraordinarily fertile country about the 
laguna of Tlahualila, and the so-called desert region of Chihuahua. Every year in- 
creases the importance of cotton-raising in Mexico, especially in view of the fact 
that vast tracts of land hitherto inaccessible, and rendered unsafe through the 
presence of hostile Indians, are being opened to immigration by the railroads. 
Regarding the prospect of profitable results from engaging in cotton-raising, it 
would be difficult to advise, since skill, experience, and capital are required in this 
industry ; but there is certainly a large demand for cotton, which it will take our 
railroads yet some years to satisfy. 

Yucatan, Tabasco, Chiapas, Vera Cruz, and Durango are the principal cotton- 
growing states. To these Consul-General Strother, in his ofiicial report, adds Guer- 
rero, Colima, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Sonora, Jalisco, Michoacan, and Coahuila. 

The annual production of Coahuila he estimates at 3,000,000 pounds. " In the 
'Laguna Country' cotton is perennial, and docs not require to be planted oftener 
than once in ten years." This district, containing aliout 1,200,000 acres, lies ]3artly 
in Coahuila and partly in Durango, is of extraordinary fertility, and well adapted to 



28 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

cotton, but is very little cultivated, and the cotton product is diminishing yearly. 
Durango's cotton crop he estimates at 4,000,000 pounds yearly, that of Sinaloa 
at 1,700,000 and of Sonora at 1,000,000 pounds. The cotton-hclt of Mexico is not 
so well-defined as that of the United States, depending more upon altitude than 
latitude; but it is not so broad that cotton will ever become an important article of 
export. In fact, the best goods manufactured for Mexico arc from cotton of the 
United States, imported at Vera Cruz from New Orleans, and, in some instances, 
transported on mule-back hundreds of miles into the interior. 

And this is notwithstanding the enormous yield, in iSSo, estimated at 25,177,760 
kilograms, valued at $6,605,831. 

Jfeufquen, or Sisal Ihntp (A^dve SisaleHsis}) — From an official report published 
in Merida, capital of Yucatan, in 1876, it appears that the peninsula produced, in 
that year, fibre to the amount of 22,000,000 pounds, the largest part of which (about 
iS,ooo,ooo) was exported in the shape of hemp to New York, London, and New 
Orleans, and the rest shipped manufactured to Cuba and the Mexican ports. Tak- 
ing one and a quarter pound of fibre as the average yearly production of each plant, 
it was estimated that there was at tha't time more than 18,000,000 plants under cul- 
tivation, keeping in operation over 420 scraping-wheels, moved by 229 steam-engines, 
with a total of 1,733 horse-jjowcr, and 30 wheels moved by animal power. Each 
wheel cleans daily, on an average, 300 poundS of fibre, working but half the year. 

"For some time after the cultivation of hemp — henequen — was seriously under- 
taken by the planters of Yucatan (notwithstanding the invention of the ' fibre-clean- 
er,' and the cheapness of wages for laborers that obtained), the merchants of that 
section encountered many obstacles in introducing the staple in the markets of the 
world. " For the numberless farms of Russia still produced their vast quantities of 
that hemp from which is manufactured the stout cordage so highly esteemed by the 
mariners of the civilized world, while on the arid plains of India the Manila fibre, 
so highly rated for its flexibility and utility in the manufacture of rope for the run- 
ning rigging of ships, flourished in luxuriant abundance, and to-day is the greatest 
rival of the Southern henequen. 

" Hut in 1854 the war waged by France, England, and Sardinia against the empire 
of Russia terminated for some time the traffic in hemp, so important to that empire. 
The merchants and factors of Yucatan took advantage of this event to introduce 
their staple into the markets of Europe. It was utilized by the English and French 
in the manufacture of cordage and ropes, nor was it long before the discovery was 
made that the proportion of one-fourth Manila fibre with three-fourths henequen 
made excellent rope, sufficiently flexible for all practicable purposes, but at the 
same time considerably cheaper than cordage composed of Manila alone. Thus a 
great impetus was given to the culture of henequen in Yucatan. Thousands of 
acres of stony land, so sterile as to unfit it for the cultivation of corn or vegetables, 
were inimediately utilized in the culture of Yucatan's only staple. Men who were 
looked upon as the unfortunate owners of leagues of desert w.istes, by the planting 
of the henequen, in the course of six or seven years became wealthy personages, for 
each plant on their farms yielded them an income of ten cents per year, even when 
the price of the precious fibre ruled low. For some years after the Russian war 
the price of henequen avcr.iged about seven cents per pound, while the principal 

' See " Travel* in Mexico," chap. iv. 



HENEQUEN, OR SISAL HEMP. 29 

markets wlicre it was consumed were New York and Liverpool, Antwerp and 
llamljurg. ]]ut in 1S72 the price of tiie staple fell, and fluttered from five cents to 
six and six and a quarter cents per pound. In 1878 the price dropped as low as 
four and a half cents per pound, and then the unhappy planters lamented their hard 
fate in the depreciation of a staple that paid them for its cultivation some ten or 
twelve per cent at this low price clear of all expenses on the value of their farms, 
as assessed by them when the price ruled as high as eight and nine cents per pound, 
and when they were gaining at least twenty-five per cent on the capital invested. 

" Even now, when the price is from five and a half to six cents per pound, the cul- 
tivation of henequen is a most profitable investment for capital. Labor rules at 
from six to eight dollars per month, while the system of peonage that obtains in 
Yucatan is still .more oppressive and more degrading even than in Mexico." 

From statistics furnished the writer by United States Consul Ayme, at Merida, 
Yucatan, it will be seen that the henequen industry is assuming vast and unexpected 
proportions: — 

Values to all places : iSSo, $1,805,848.18; 1881, $2,774,166.88, increase over pre- 
vious year, $969,318.70; 1S82, $2,729,556.07, decrease from previous year, $44,610.81. 

Bales to the United States: 18S0, 85,434; 1881, 116,209; 18S2, 109,867. 

Bales to Europe : 1880,11,917; 1881,23,424; 1882,25,216. 

Three thousand bales were burned at Progreso in 1881, of which 2,481 were 
destined for the United States, and 519 for Europe. The noticeable features are, 
for three years: a great increase in exportations in 1881 over 1S80; a considerable 
decrease in 1882 from 1881. But while the percentage of increase in number of 
bales in 188 1 was about 40 per cent for the United States, the European imports 
were over 100 per cent greater,, and in 1882 the whole decrease fell on the United 
States, while Europe increased her imports, still further lowering our amount. 

Indigo, which was once a special product of Mexican soil, has declined in impor- 
tance, like cochineal, until it is no longer profitable to engage in its cultivation. The 
total amount for 1880 is given at $358,000. 

Cochineal, which was formerly raised and exported to the amount of over $2,000,- 
000 annually, has no longer a value that will tempt the cultivator in Mexico other 
than the patient Indian, descendant of a long line of cochineal raisers, to attempt 
its difficult, though fascinating, culture. These two industries are very evidently 
relegated to the things of the past. 

Maize ■z.wA Wheat. — Indian corn, or maize, was probably the only cereal origin- 
ally possessed by the Mexicans, but all the grains of Europe have been successfully 
introduced. Maize grows everj-^vhere from coast to mountain-top; wheat and bar- 
ley only in the colder regions : but all flourish here, and yield abundant harvests. 

Columbus, in his first voyage, in 1492, discovered corn in use by the Indians of 
Cuba, and afterwards by those of Haiti. "Among the trophies of the New World 
that this great navigator laid at the feet of his sovereigns, on returning from this 
remarkable voyage to the unknown country, were a few ears of maize, or ' Indian 
corn.' Neglected were they amongst the mass of rich plunder — gold, gems, and 
strange copper-skinned captives — that greeted the eyes of Ferdinand and Isabella; 
but the golden ears were of far more value to the world than all the treasure that 
subsequently flowed into their coffers from New Spain." 

The spread of the wonderful grain was rapid, and that which had hitherto con- 
stituted the chief food of the American Indian was soon all over Europe, Asia, and 



30 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

Africa. A thousand years before our country acquired a name, the Indians of 
Mexico cultivated this precious cereal. At the present day, even, it is almost their 
sole support. 

On the discover)' of America by Europeans, says Humboldt, the zea maiz (tlaolU 
in the Aitec, nuthiz in the Ilaytian) was cultivated from the most southern part of 
Chili to Tcnnsylvania (much farther north even than that). 

Maize, or Indian corn, is certainly of tropical birth. Its broad, clinging leaves, 
its tall, tassel-crowned form, and luxuriant growth, all proclaim it as a native of the 
tropics. The home of the maize is undoubtedly the Me.vican plateau. Either there 
or on the equally elevated plains of Peru, Indian corn had its birth. There it finds 
the necessary union of hot "growing " days with cool, moist nights. 

In a journey through the Indian hill-towns of Southern Mexico, the writer has 
ridden for days through successive valleys filled with maize, where the villages were 
entirely hidden in vast fields, and where the great stalks with their waving tassels, 
like the feathered crests of warriors of old, reached the height of fifteen feet. 
Humboldt esteemed the cerealia of Mexico far ahead of that of Europe in point of 
productiveness, and Mr. Ward, British minister to Me.xico, sixty years ago, wrote : 
"There are few parts, either of the tierra caliente or of the table-land, in which 
maize is not cultivated with success. In the low hot grounds upon the coast, and 
on the slope of the Cordillera, its growth is more colossal than on the table-land ; 
but even there, at 7,000 and 8,000 feet above the level of the sea, its fecundity is 
such as will hardly be credited in Europe." 

The estimated product of maize in Mexico for the year ending 1S80 was 5,309,- 
563,939 kilograms; in value, $112,164,424. 

The first wheat in Mexico was accidentally introduced, it is believed, in some 
rice brought with the stores of the Spanish army, and was first planted before 
1530. From that humble beginning, the wheat crop of Mexico has steadily in- 
creased, until at the present day, this cereal finds congenial surroundings every- 
where on the plateaus. The Mexican wheat, according to Humboldt, " is of the 
very best quality, and maybe compared with the finest Andalusian grain." Regard- 
ing the yield, he further says, speaking of the princip.al great valleys of Mexico, 
" At Cholula, the common harvest is from 30 to 40, but frequently exceeds 70 to 80, 
for one. In the Valley of Mexico maize yields 200, and wheat iS or 20 fold. In 
the northern part of Mexico, he estimated the return as lower; yet where irrigation 
is practised, as in California and Arizona, former provinces of New Spain, or 
Mexico, the result has been astonishing. 

The estimated production for 1S80, throughout Mexico, was 338,704,093 kilo- 
grams, valued at $17,436,345. Fine fiour is ground in Mexico, but not equal to the 
American, which sells largely, notwithstanding an almost prohibitory duty. 

The straw of the various grains was worth, it is said, above $1,500,000. 

The wheat is threshed in the primitive manner of the ancient Egyptians, with 
horses to tread it out, on a floor of pounded earth. 

Rice, Siirsa/>arilla, and vanilla. — The rice product of Mexico amounted to above 
$1,200,000 in iSSo; yet the extent to which it is cultivated is not great, owing to the 
unhcalthiness of localities where it flourishes. 

Two wild vines, both of which are indigenous to Mexico, the sarsaparilla and 
the vanilla, contribute to the enrichment of the natives of the hot country. The 
vanilla, with the rich, aromatic fruitage, and spicy blossoms, is found growing in 



CORN, WHEAT, AND SUGAR-CANE. 31 

the tropical forests of Vera Cruz and Tobasco. It is carefully cherished, requiring 
skill and acquaintance with its habits for successful results, and its fruit yields 
above half a million dollars annual returns. 

Sugar cane. — Three varieties of cane are planted in the Republic, known as the 
Castilian, Havana, and Otahcite. The first is not so full of juice as the others, 
but is more abundant in saccharine matter; the mixture of the three produces the 
best results in the manufacture of the sugar. The tierras calientes are especially 
adapted for the cultivation of the cane, and the plantations and the amount of 
improved machinery are increasing yearly. The methods of culture, and the 
processes for crushing the cane, and crystallization of the juice, are the same as 
those followed in Cuba and Porto Rico. The plantations are of great area, some 
producing from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 pounds of sugar annually. The largest are 
situated in the states of Morelos, Jalisco, Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Puebla and Yucatan. 

Sugar-cane was an importation of the Spaniards, the Mexican-Indians extracting 
sweets only from the native honey, from the agave, which juice they called victl, 
and from the saccharine pith of the maize. It was brought into Mexico from the 
Canary Islands, by way of the West Indies; for the Spaniards planted cane in 
San Domingo as far back as 1520. 

As early as 1553, sugar was exported from Mexico, from the ports of Vera Cruz 
and Acapulco, into Spain and Peru. In the early part of this century, according to 
Humboldt, several million of pounds were annually exported at Vera Cruz. He 
also estimated the rich soil of the State of Vera Cruz as being capable of produc- 
ing twice the product of cane per acre as that of Cuba ; and Ward (another 
authority), pronounced the same state able to supply sugar to all Europe. Yet, in 
spite of these predictions, Mexico has never realized the hopes of her friends in 
this direction. Either the native Indian element has developed a liking for sweets 
that their early task-masters would not allow them previously to indulge, when 
Mexico exported sugar to other Spanish colonies ; or the foreign element aids 
largely in its consumption; for sugar does not figure largely in the list of exports. 
Indeed, there is not enough produced for home-consumption. And it may be added 
that, as Mexico's population develops a Jaste for the luxuries of life, as it is con- 
stantly augmented by accessions from the United States and Europe, the demand 
for sugar will so increase that it will be imported to a considerable extent. Protec- 
tive duties now serve to keep out American sugar (especially the refined grades), 
which sells in Mexico at high prices. Perhaps the radical reason for the inability 
of Mexico's sugar-plantations to keep pace with the demand is, that the area 
suitable for cane-cultivation is necessarily restricted. The plantations are not all 
of them situated in the unhealthy hot lands, as cane can be raised in the ticrra 
templada, as high as four thousand feetj and where the only fevers are the relatively 
mild intcrmittents ; in truth, the finest and most beautiful haciendas that the writer 
can call to mind, many of which he visited, are in a region very salubrious, though 
of course, hot. Those of Oaxaca, which are quite productive, are in a valley quite 
temperate in character, and near the healthful capital of the state. But the super- 
ficial configuration of the Mexican territory, notably rough and mountainous, 
forbids any extent of fertile valleys, in the rich mould of which alone the cane will 
grow to perfection. Mexico can, undoubtedly, raise a much greater quantity of 
sugar than she does now, when settled peace shall have given her planters an 
opportunity to rebuild mills destroyed by revolutionists, and to bring into cultivation 
thousands of acres which have been neglected from the same cause. 



j^ 



MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



Another factor in successful canc-raising, which is all-important in Afcxico, is 
water; and unless the present irrigation facilities can be extended in some remark- 
able manner, the sugar product will never reach a point to admit of exportation to 
other countries. The estimated yield for iSSo, was 70,000,000 kilograms, valued 
at $8,716,000. Of the 2,019,823,614 pounds of sugar, imported into the United 
.States in the three years ending June 30th, 18S0, only 1,792,1 7 r pounds came from 
Mexico, less than one-tenth of one per cent.' 

Tobacco. — Indigenous to Mexico at the time the Spaniards first set foot upon its 
soil, was a plant which has since become famous throughout the world, tobacco, 
called yctl by the Aztecs, and used by them as a mild narcotic. We have only to 
turn to the history of that country to find that the lords of Montezuma's court, and 
even the great chieftain himself, used it after their repasts, daintily smoking it 
through amber tubes, and finding it especially grateful for the midday siesta. Mex- 
ico may never, perhaps, take rank with Cuba as a tobacco-producing country, but 
within her borders, especially on the confines of the tierra calientc of the east coast, 
there is a soil particularly adapted to the growth of the plant, and an atmosphere 
and temperature favorable for* ripening and curing it. The tobacco of Vera Cruz 
is rapidly winning its way to favor, and when sufficient care shall have been exer- 
cised in the manufacture of Mexican cigars, they will, in all probability, compete 
successfully with the Havanas. The region about Cordova has long been cele- 
brated for its tobacco, which has yielded a large revenue to viceroys and other 
rulers of Mexico for two or three centuries. The production of 18S0 is given as 
7,504,990 kilograms, having a value in Mexico of 32,000,000. 

' See " Commerce between ihc United States and Mexico," Washington, 1884. 



MINES AND MIIVINC. 



MINERAL REGIONS OF MEXICO. 



33 



"Mexico," says Lyell, "originally consisted of granitic ranges, with intervening 
valleys, subsequently filled up tothe level of the plateaus by subterranean erui> 
tions, as igneous rocks of every geologic epoch to a large extent form the super- 
structure of the central plateau. The most elevated regions are composed, espe- 
cially the high ranges, of plutonic and volcanic rocks, although a great portion 
of the plateau is metamorphic, and contains the greatest variety of ores." Says 
another authority : " A line drawn from the capital to Guanajuato, and thence 
northward to the southwestern point of Chihuahua, and southward to Oaxaca, thus 
cutting the main axis of upheaval at an angle of 45°, will intersect probably the 
richest known argentiferous region in the whole world! " 

In a general way it may be said that a metalliferous vein runs through the entire 
Cordillera of Mexico, extending from the mines of the Sierra Madre in Sonora, — 
in the far northwest, — to the gold-deposits of Oaxaca, in the extreme south. The 
mineral districts most distinguished for their productions of silver and gold are 
those of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Fresnillo, Real del Monte, Pachuca, Catorce, Tasco, 
and Oaxaca. 

As the relative importance of mines is largely due to their proximity to great 
centres of population, the mines of Pachuca, — including those of Real del Monte, 
Chico, Capula, Santa Rosa, etc., — should first claim attention, being distant from 
the capital less than seventy miles. This group, in the State of Hidalgo, covers an 
area of twenty-five kilometres from north to south, and thirty-three from east to 
west. A second cluster is that of the district of Tasco, and those of Zacualpan, 
Sultepec, Angangeo, Tlalpujahua, and Zimapan. These groups, with those of 
Oaxaca, describe a circuit round about the City of Mexico, though open towards 
the east with a radius of about two hundred kilometres. 

The districts of Guanajuato and Zacatecas form two groups, important for 
their numerous and industrious population. An offshoot from the main Cordillera is 
the district of Catorce, north of San Luis Potosi. The states of Sonora, Oaxaca, 
Michoacan, Chihuahua, and Guerrero, abound not only in the precious metals, but 
in copper, iron, lead, zinc, etc. The most notable of these are the hills of iron in 
Durango and Oaxaca, and the copper found in Michoacan, and Chihuahua. 
Humboldt divided the Mexican mines into eight groups : the first, and most 
considerable, includes the almost contiguous districts of Guanajuato, San Luis 
Potosi, Catorce, Fresnillo, and Sombrerete ; those to the west of Durango and 
Sinaloa form the second ; the third group comprehends the mines of Chihuahua, 
and is the most northern ; northwest of Mexico City lies the Real del Monte or 
Pachuca; those of Zimapan or el Doctor, the fifth; Bolanos, in Guadelajara, 
is the central point of the sixth ; Tasco, of the seventh, and the mines of Oaxaca 
the eighth. 

That part of the Mexican mountains containing the greatest quantity of silver 
lies between the parallels of 21° and 24° 30' north latitude. 

" It is remarkable," says Humboldt, (then, of course, being ignorant of the vast 
deposits of Nevada and Arizona), " that the metallic wealth of Mexico and Peru 
should be placed at an almost equal distance, in either hemisphere, from the 
equator." 



34 .)/j:x/c.lv j^esol'/^cks. 



HISTORY OF MEXICAN MINES. 

"The mountains of Anahuac," wrote the celebrated historian Clavigero, a century 
ago, "abound in ores of every kind of niet;il. The Mexicans found gold in the 
countries of the Colmixcas, the Miztecs, the Zapotecs and several others. They 
gathered it chiclly in grains amongst the sands of the rivers, and the above men- 
tioned people paid a certain quantity in tribute to the crown of Mexico. Silver 
was dug out of the mines of Tlachco and Tzomjjanco. Of copper they had two 
sorts, — one hard, which they used instead of iron to make axes, mattocks, and 
other instruments of war and agriculture; the otiier flexible for the making of 
basins and other vessels. This metal abounded formerly in the provinces of 
Zacatollan and the Cohuixchas; at present it is found in the kingdom of Michoacan. 

They dug tin from the mines of Tlachco, and lead from the mines of Izmicjuilpan, 
a place in the country of the Otomics. Of tin they made money, and they sold lead 
in the market; there were likewise mines of iron in Tlascala, in Tlachco (Tlasco) 
and other places; but they cither did not find out these mines, — or, at least did- 
not know how to benefit themselves by the discovery. Mines of quicksilver they 
had in Chilapan, and in many places mines of sulphur, alum, vitriol, cinnabar, 
ochre, and a white earth strongly resembling white lead. Of amber and asphaltum, 
there was, and still is, a great abundance on both coasts, and they were both paid 
in tribute to the king of Mexico from many places of the empire. With respect to 
precious stones, there were, and still are, diamonds, though few in number ; ame- 
thysts, cats-eyes, turquoises, cornelians, and some green stones, resembling emeralds 
(C/ialc/iiiiitls); and of all these stones the Miztecs, Zapotecs, and Cohuixcas, in 
whose mountains they were found, paid a tribute to the king. The mountains 
which lie on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, between the port of Vera Cruz and 
the river Coatzacoalco, namely, those of Chinantla, furnished them with crystal. 
There were quarries of jasper, and marble of different colors, in the mountains 
of Calpolalpan, to the cast of Mexico, in the Monte de las Cnices, and in the 
Zapotec country; of alabaster (Mexican onyx) in Tecalco (now Tecale) ."^tate of 
Puebla, and in the country of the Miztecs; of tezotitli, in' the vale of Mexico itself, 
and in many other places of the empire. There are, besides, mountains of load- 
stone (magnetic iron), of the Qititzalifztli, or nephritic stone ; the Mexicans formed 
various and curious figures ; Cliintaltizatl, which is a kind of talc, on calcination, 
gives a fine plaster, which the Mexicans used to whiten their paintings ; the Mez- 
cuitlatl was the opal, very abundant. But no stone was more common with the 
Mexicans, than the //:///, or obsidian, of which they made mirrors, knives, etc." 

That the ancient Toitccs and Aztecs obtained gold and silver, not only from the 
beds of mountain torrents and the auriferous sands of the coast streams, but from 
shafts and galleries simk at great exjicnse of time and toil, we have abundant proof. 
IJke the native of Peru, they worked mines that dated their origin from a period 
so remote that no man knew when they were begun. The abundance of gold and 
silver vessels and bars of the precious metals at the time of the arrival of the 
Spaniards proves the above statement, asiile from their own historic records. 
They possessed, besides gems, also cinnabar, lead, tin, and copper. The southern 
provinces paid tribute, not only in the peculiar products of their fields and forests, 
but in golden grains, as found in the rivers, and cast into bars, and wonderfully 
wrought ornaments. 



AACIENT MINES OF THE AZTECS. 35 

Fortunately for the seeker after early statistics, we have an account of the ancient 
sources of wealth of the Aztecs in the letters of the conqueror himself; for Cortes 
wrote an explicit account of them to his sovereign. After getting Montezuma into 
his power, in the year 1520, he obtained from the Aztec ruler a list of all his mines. 
The account cannot be better rendered than in his own words: " When I discovered 
that Montezuma was fully devoted to your Ilighness, I requv;sted him that, in 
order to enable me to render a complete account to your Majesty of the produc- 
tions of the countr)-, he would point out to me the mines from which gold was 
obtained, to which he consented with the greatest readiness. Me immediately sent 
for several of his public servants, and assigned them to four provinces, two to 
each, in which he said the gold was obtained, and he asked me to allow some of 
the Spaniards to go with them that they might observe the manner in which gold 
was procured, and I accordingly deputed two Spaniards for the same number of his 
own men. One party of them went to a province called Cuzula, eighty leagues 
from the great city of TemLxtitlan (Mexico), whose inhabitants are vassals of 
Montezuma, where they were shown three rivers, from all of which they brought 
me specimens of gold of a good quality, though- procured with little trouble, and 
without any other instruments than those used by the Indians. . . . Another 
party of our envoys went to a province called Malinaltebeque, which is seventy 
leagues from the great city, but more towards the seacoast. They brought me 
specimens of gold from a great river that passes through it. The other party 
visited a region beyond this river, inhabited by a people speaking a different 
language from those of Culua (Alexicc), and whose territory is situated on a lofty 
and rough mountainous range, with a population inured to war, who fight with 
spears of twenty-five to thirty palms' length ; he is independent of Montezuma. 
. . . . lie would not admit the subjects of Montezuma, but allowed the Span- 
iards to enter, and showed them seven or eight mines, from which they said gold 
was procured ; and in their presence some of the Indians got out a quantity of the 

precious metal, of which specimens were brought to me The other 

party of envoys visited a province called Tuchitebeque, on the same route, towards 
the sea, twelve leagues from the province of Malinaltebeque, where, I have already 
said, gold was found, and where they were shown two other streams, from which 
they obtained gold." 

The first silver sent from the mines of New Spain was obtained from those 
of Tasco, discovered in the year 1522. These mines, with those of Pachuca, are 
considered the oldest in Mexico, some of them having been long worked by the 
Indians at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards. The amount of gold and 
silver obtained from Montezuma and sent to Spain is estimated at $7,000,000. This 
includes the household treasures of Axayacatl, his royal father, the accumulation, 
probably, of many years. 

"The working of the mines of Zacatecas," says Humboldt, "followed closely 
after; one, the vein of San Barnabe, was begun in 1540, but twenty-eight years 
after the death of Montezuma. The principal vein of Guanajuato [la Veta Madre) 
was discovered somewhat later, in April, 155S. The dates of discovery of the 
most important Mexican veins, are as follows: Parral, in 1600; Cieneguilla, 1608; 
Guazapares, 162S; Urique, 1630; Eatopilas, 1632; Cusihuiriachic, 1666; Chi- 
huahuilla, 1671; Santa Eulalia, 1704; Topago, 1750; San Joaquin, 1774; Umapa, 
177S; El Refugio, iSio; Jesus Maria, 1S21 ; Palmares, 1824; Morelos, 1S26; 



36 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

Sctcntrian, 1S29; Batougachic, 1839; Santo Domingo, 1867; Guadaloupe, 1S69; 
Zapuri, 1873. 

There were, by the calculation of Humboldt, at the opening of this century, five 
hundred places (rcaUs, or renlitos), celebrated for their mines, comprehending 
nearly five thousand mines (m/titis), or separate excavations. The principal rtvj/rj 
were: — Guanaxuato, in the Intcndcncy of the same name; Catorce, San Luis 
Potosi ; Zacatecas, Zacatecas ; Real del Monte, Mexico ; liolanos, Guadalaxara ; 
Guarisamcy, Durango; Sombrcrete, Zacatecas; Tasco, Mexico; Batopilas, Chi- 
huahua ; Zimiapan, Mexico ; P'rcsnillo, Zacatecas ; Ramos, San Luis Potosi ; 
Parral, Chihuahua. 

With the increasing prosperity of the mines the rfa/cs wore converted into 
pueblos or villages, giving an impulse to agriculture in the surrounding countrj', 
and to commerce, many of them finally becoming prosperous cities, which either 
drove away the Indians, or reduced them to submission and to a civilized life. 
Such is the history of the foundation of Guanajuato, whose real was established 
in 1554, obtained the title of town in 1619, and of city the eighth of September, 1741. 

The natural mineral wealth of Guanajuato attracted attention from the very 
first. The first worked silver vein was that of San Bernabe, which afterwards 
belonged to the famous mine of La Luz. This vein, we are assured, was discovered 
by an arriero (muleteer), who travelled between Zacatecas and Mexico. Later, 
they worked Mellado and Rayas, and in sinking shafts in 1558, discovered the 
famous Veta Madre, — or Mother Vein, — which, since that epoch, has been at- 
tacked at various points, calling into existence the numerous mines of Valenciana, 
Tepeyac, Cata, Santa Anna, Fraustos, Santa Anita, and others, whose riches have 
attracted the attention of the old continent, even by the vast amount of its argenti- 
ferous products. The mines have suffered various vicissitudes; they have fallen 
away in production since the time when Humboldt published a statement of their 
almost fabulous yield. The mine of Guadalupe, known as the Cata, has been one 
of the richest and most famous of those in the district of Guanajuato. At the end 
of the eighteenth century it belonged to the heirs of the ALirquis of San Clemente. 
Since the year 1758, it has been filled with water to sifch an extent that it could 
not be worked. If the mine could be effectually drained, it would also be possible 
to work the mine of San Lorenzo, an old and very rich one ; and it is the gen- 
eral belief that when the tiro principal, — great main shaft, — shall be completed 
and these mines thoroughly drained, there will soon result such a bonanza as will 
revive the ancient splendors of Guanajuato. 

"We may make," says a competent authority, "three periods in the history 
of Mexican silver mining: the Aztec period, which terminated at the arrival of the 
Spaniards, who inaugurated the second, which extended until Mexican independ- 
ence, with continually increasing products. The Spaniards invented amalgamation 
by the patio process. Then came above twenty years of confusion, when little was 
done; but when the Republic had fairly got under way, and the country was, in 
some measure, open to foreigners, Europe, especially England, in hot haste to take 
advantage of the opportunity, sent over engineers and machinery and great sums 
of money, much of which was quite w.isted, to the hopeless ruin of a great part 
of the adventurers. The improvements and machinery remained, however, but 
the mines passed into other hands. Of late years the companies have been doing 
well, and now export nearly as much silver as during the latter years of the 
Spanish Government." 



TOTAL PRODUCT OF MEXICAN MINES. 37 

The English minister, Ward, in writing of the mines of the table-land, said: — 
. • " Fortunately there is no reason whatever to a]:)prehend the approach of that 
scarcity of mineral productions with which many think Mexico is menaced. Hith- 
erto, at least (1827), every step that has been taken in exploring the country, has led 
to fresh indications of wealth, which in the north appears to be really inexhaustible." 
(This was written twenty years before the discovery of gold in California, and when 
the territory comprising Arizona, Nevada, etc., was a howling wilderness.) 

"Mining in Mexico has hitherto (true yet) been confined to a comparatively 
narrow circle; the immense mass of silver which the country has yielded since the 
conquest has proceeded from a few central spots ; yet, if one examine these spots 
we shall find that three centuries of constant productiveness have not sufficed to 
exhaust the principal mines originally worked, while by far the largest proportion 
of the great veins remain unworked in each." 

At Sombrerete, the vein of the Pavellon has been worked from the time of the 
conquest, though it was only in the year 1792 that it produced the famous bonanza. 
, . . . The mines of Santa Eulalia, in Chihuahua, continued to be equally 
productive during a period of eighty years, and were only abandoned at last in 
consequence of the incursions of the Indian tribes. The riches of Real del Monte 
can hardly be said to have diminished in a term of sixty years, although the 
difficulty of drainage caused the works there to be suspended. An account of the 
miners, on oath, in 1801, of the state of the lower levels, when abandoned, shows 
the richness of the vein to have been unimpaired. 

TOTAL PRODUCT OF THE MEXICAN MINES. 

A very clear estimate of the precious metals sent from the New to the Old 
World in the early years of its conquest is given by Humboldt, as follows : From 
1492 to 1500, $15,000, gold of Cibao (Hayti), coast of Paria, etc. From 1500 to 
1545, annual product $3,000,000: Mexican mines of Tasco, Zultepeque, Pachuca; 
Peruvian mines of Caxamarca and Cuzco, and the spoils of Tenochtitlan, Choco 
and Antioquia. From 1545 to 1600, $11,000,000: Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Cerro 
del Potosi, Peru, etc. From 1600 to 1700, $16,000,000: mines of Potosi getting 
exhausted, but new ones discovered. From 1700 to 1750, $22,500,000 alluvial 
deposits of Brazil, Mexican mines of La Biscaina, Sombrerete, and Batopilas. 
From 1750 to 1800, $35,500,000; last period of splendor of Tasco mine; the Valen- 
ciana wrought. The same great authority estimates the total gold and silver sent 
from America to Europe, — between years 1492 and 1S03, — three centuries, — at 
;f^ 1, 1 66,77 5,322; say in round numbers, $8,250,000,000. 

Taking as a basis the estimates of the great Humboldt, the annual average of the 
Mexican mines between 1690 and 1803 was $12,000,000; and the total product up to 
1884 will foot up nearly $4,000,000,000, as follows : — 

Between 1 52 1 — 1803 (inclusive) $2,027,952,000 

" 1804 — 1847 " 768,188,420 

" 1848 — 1875 " • • • • . . 702,000,000 

Product for 1876 (Cubas) 20,000,000 

" " 1877 -' 78 -'79 (estimated) .... 75,000,000 

" " i8So(Busto: Estadistica) -9>7'3>355 

" " 1S81 — 1884 (inclusive: estimated) . . . 100,000,000 

$3,722,853,775 



38 MEX/CAX RESOURCES. 

These estimates arc, of course, more or less imperfect. No one can doubt the 
integrity of the great author of Cosmos, who diligently searched the mining records 
of Mexico, to which he had free access. "Hut," says an Kng'i^h authority, "during 
the civil war (which occurred ten years later, and lasted nearly twelve years), the 
archives, not only of the college of mines (to which Humboldt had access, and 
by which the j)roduce of each separate district might have been ascertained), but 
of almost all the mming deputations, were destroyed Even the registers of the 
sums paid to the Cojas ProvinciaUs, — provincial treasuries, — as the ' king's fifth,' 
have disappeared." 

Our authorities, then, from which the foregoing deductions are made are : first, 
Humboldt (1S03), Ward (1S27), Hrantz Mayor (about 1S42), Cubas (1S76), Busto, — 
Estadislica de la Kcpnblica Mtrxicana (iSSo), various Mexican writers scattered 
throughout the sixty years known as the Revolutionary period, and the anuarios 
(annuals) up to 1S84. Ward, the British Minister to Mexico in 1S27, thought that 
Humboldt under-estimated the product of the Mexican mines. He further alludes 
to the fact that from the mines, throughout the long period when Mexico was 
in the throes of civil strife, the lower classes drew their entire subsistence, by 
extracting ore from the upper levels of mines abandoned by their wealthy 
owners, and thus completing the ruin water had commenced by removing pillars left 
for support, etc. It is not the author's desire to make out a case cither for or 
against the Republic of Mexico, but it is his wish to clearly present an accurate 
statement of its resources. It is his opinion that, considering the vast amount that 
conjecturally has paid no duties; has been smuggled out of the country, and 
extracted by the thousands of buscoites, or illegitimate miners, of which no record 
has been kept, the mines of Mexico have yielded a total product of not less than 
?4,ooo,ooo,ooo. 

In 1S76, an American statistician,' basing his estimates upon those of Humboldt, 
and the various official reports of Great Britain and the United States, sums up 
the total products of gold and silver of the territory formerly known as New 
Spain, the most valuable portion of which the United States acquired from 
Mexico, in 1848, as follows : — 

Mexico, 1521 — 1804 $2,027,9!;2,ooo 

" 1804 — 1848 768,188,420 

" 1S48 — 1876 ........ 702,000,000 

California, 1S4S — 1876 1,064,628,502 

Nevada, 184S — 1876 293,233,910 

Arizona, 1848 — 1876 7,962,000 

New Mexico, 1S4S — 1S76 6,075,000 

Utah, 1848 — 1876 17.472,773 



Total of New Spain 1521 — 1876 .... $4,887,512,605 

He further compares the gold and silver product of the world, for about the 
same period, with that of New Spain, by which it appears that the latter restricted 
territory produced thirty-snrti per cent of the whole, during three centuries : — New 
Spain, >4,8S8,5i 2,605; '•'c World, $13.11 1,825,889. 

' Alex. D. Andcrton, in The Silver Countiy; or. The Great Souihwest. New York: 1877. 



PRODUCTION AND COINAGE OF GOLD AND SILVER. 39 



By a series of comparisons he sliows that the greater portion of the world's 
silver product, of later years, has been obtained from New Spain : — From 1521 to 
1S04, It yielded 43 per cent of the silver product of the whole world; from 1S04 
to 1848, 56 per cent; from 1848 to 1868, 50 per cent; and during the year 1S75, 
75 per cent of the silver product of the whole world. 

" The territory acquired by the United States from Mexico, produced," he says, 
"bct\veen 184S — 1876 seven-eighths the total amount of silver and gold of the 
country, viz: — 

■ Total product of United States $1,574,045,802 

" " " territory acquired from Mexico . . 1,389,372,185 



other States, only 



$184,673,617." 



RESUME OF MINES AND MINING FOR THE YEAR 1880. 



Mineral districts , 




324 


riacers 




23 


]\Iines in working 


1,247 




" "Denounced" 


447 








1,694 


" of silver and gold 


332 




" silver . . „ . . = . , , 


807 




" copper . = . . . , . 


156 




" lead ........ 


143 




" cinnabar . . ^ 


94 








1,694 


Annual production in cargas (300 lbs. each) . . 




2,567,306 


" " in kilograms of pure metal 




843,058,000 


Value of total production of the mines . , . , 




129,713.355 


Number of men employed ..... 




102,240 


Salaries and wages paid 




$8,021,000 


Kilograms of pure silver reduced (patio) 


360,284,317 




" " " " (toncl) 


24,503.843 




" " " " (lixiviation) 


16,077,771 




" " " " (fi^ego) , . 


142,224,667 


543,120,598 


Number of mints in the Republic .... 




11 


Gold coined during year 1S79 


$622,524.00 




Silver " « « « .... 


21,405,331.00 




Copper" « « « 


16,300.00 






$: 


2,084,155.20 






$618,514.58 


" " silver (543,120,598) value of . 




1,240,904.59 


" " metal (544,081,720) value of . 


1,859,419.17 


Difference in kilograms between production and coinai 


5e, 


299,938 


" in value " " and " 


$7,629,199.80 



40 MEXICAX RESOURCES. 



GOLD. 

"Rivers become less auriferous," wrote Humboldt, "in proportion as, in the 
course of ages, their flow becomes less rapid. A horde of savages who settle in a 
valley where man has never before penetrated, find grains of gold, accumulated 
there for thousands of years; while in our day, the most careful washings hardly 
produce a few particles." 

In corroboration of this we may cite the golden streams of Hayti and San Domingo 
which were so productive in the few years succeeding the discovery of the NVest 
Indies, but which now contain nothing of value. Mexican gold, the same great 
authority states, is for the most part extracted from alluvial ground, by means 
of washing. These grounds are common in the province of Sonora ; a great deal 
of gold has been collected among the sands of the valley of the Rio Hiaqui (Yaqui). 
Farther to the north in Pimeria Alta, under the thirty-first degree of latitude, lumps 
of native gold, pepitas, have been found of the weight of from five to six pounds. 
In these desert regions, the incursions of the Indians, the excessive price of pro- 
visions, and the want of the necessary water for working, are all great obstacles to 
the extraction of gold. 

Another part of the Mexican gold is extracted from the veins which traverse the 
primitive mountains, which are most frequent in Oaxaca (State), either in gneiss 
or micaceous slate, which last rock is particularly rich in gold. These veins, of 
which X\\& gangiie is milk quartz, arc more than half a metre in thickness, but their 
richness is very unequal, as they are frequently "strangled," and the extraction of 
gold in the mines of Oaxaca is in general by no means considerable. Gold is to be 
found, cither pure or mixed with silver ore, and there is scarcely a single silver 
mine which does not also contain gold. Native gold is frequently found crystal- 
lized in octahedrons, or as laminae, or in a reticulated form, in the silver ores 
of the mines of Villalpando and Rayas,near Guanajuato; Guarisamay, west of 
Durango; and Mezquitl, in Guadalajara, which last yields the purest metal. 

Among the ancient Aztecs, the Spaniards found a great quantity of ornaments 
and works in gold, such as a golden disk, as large as a cart wheel, etc. Of presents 
to royalty, from the conquisladores of the New World, probably few have sur- 
passed, in novelty of design, and intrinsic value, that golden culverin sent to the 
king of Spain by Cortes, in 1523. It was a superbly executed work, and valued at 
20,000 ducats. In the great market of ancient Mexico, gold dust was sold in tubes, 
or quills of aquatic birds, made transparent, so that the size of the golden grains 
could be seen. 

Although long celebrated as the Land of Gold, Mexico has not actually shown 
any great extent of territory that may be called auriferous. A glittering thread 
of gold runs, indeed, the entire length of the Sierra Madre, but it is only at rare 
intervals that it has been taken up and pursued with profit. Placer gold has been 
discovered in the north, but it is mainly in the south, in Oaxaca, that the ore has 
of late years been mined. The following list identifies auriferous localities : 

Native Gold. — State of Guerrero, mineral de Tepantitlan ; State of Mexico* 
mineral del Oro; State of Oaxaca, mineral de San Antonio. 

Auriferous Placers. — Several districts in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, 
and Ixtapa in Mexico. 

Gold comiuneu with otukk Metals. — State of Chihuahua: Guadalupe y 



COLD AND SILVER DISTRICTS. 41 

Calvo, Guadalupe de los Reyes, Parral ; State of Durango : Avino, Basis, Canelas, 
Comercio, Concho, Cuencame, Duraznito, El Oro, Gavilanes, Guanacevi, Huahua- 
pan, Inde, Mapimi, Penon Ijlanco, PicotercQt, San Dimas, San Juan de Guadalupe, 
San Bruno, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Santiago, Topia, Ventanas ; State of Guerrero : 
mineral de Tasco ; State of Guanajuato : The greater part of the mines of silver 
of the district of Guanajuato contain traces of gold, principally those of Rayas, 
Monte de San Nicolas, Sirena and el Nayal ; State of Hidalgo, Pachuca, Zimapan ; 
State of Jalisco, mineral de Etzatlan ; .Slate of Mexico: mineral districts. El Oro, 
Ixtlahuaca, Sultepec, Temascaltepec; State of Michoacan ; minerals of Anganguco 
and Tlalpujahua; State of Oaxaca, minerals of Extlan and Penoles; State of 
Puebla, mineral de Tetela, del Oro; State of Queretaro, mineral del Doctor; State 
of San Luis Potosi, mineral of San Pedro ; State of Sinaloa : Birimosa, Cajon, 
Cosala, Fresnos, Limon, San Ja"vier, Tule ; State of Sonora : Promontorios, Minas 
Nuevas; State of Zacatecas, Carcamo. Cedros, Chalchihuitcs, Fresnillo, Mazapil, 
Noria, Pico de Freire, Pinos, Zacatecas. 

SILVER. 

Mexico's greatest mineral wealth, undoubtedly, lies in its vast deposits of silver, 
as compared with which its treasure of gold is almost insignificant. In pur general 
remarks upon mining, we have described the ancient and modern silver mines, and 
have related thg history of their discovery. It only remains, now, to indicate the 
districts in which silver is the principal product. For further particulars, the reader 
is referred to the detailed description of the resources of the states. 

Native Silver, says Humboldt, which is much less abundant in America than 
is generally supposed, has been found in considerable masses, sometimes weigh- 
ing more than two hundred kilograms, in the mines of Batopilas. From time 
to time, he adds, small branches, or cylindrical filaments, of native silver, are 
discovered in the celebrated vein of Guanajuato ; but these masses have never 
been so considerable as those which were formerly drawn from the mines of 
Encino, near Pachuca, and Tasco, where native silver is sometimes contained in 
foliated gypsum. It is now found in certain districts of Batopilas, State of Chi- 
huahua, Guanajuato, Pachuca and Zacatecas; and argentiferous and platiniferous 
deposits in the district of Jacala, State of Hidalgo, known as Santa Maria de Alamos. 

Principal Silver Districts. — Chihuahua: Batopilas, Batuchique, Canda- 
mena, Cusihuiriachi, Guadalupe y Calvo, Guadalupe de los Reyes, Jesus Maria, 
Morelos, Parral, Santa Eulalia, Toquimbo, Urique, Uruachi, Valle, Zapori. 

Durango : Arzati, Avino, Bajada, Basis, Canelas, Coneto, Comercio, Cuencame, 
Durangal, Duraznito, El Oro, Fresnos, Gavilanes, Guanacevi, Huahuapan, Inde, 
Mapimi, Metatitos, Mezquital, Parrilla, Penon Blanco, Picoeterco, Pueblo Nuevo, 
Rodeo, San Dimas, San Juan de Guadalupe, San Lucas, Santiago, Sianori, Tama- 
zula, Tejame, Topia, Ventanas. 

Guanajuato: El Nayal, El Nopal, Gilmonene, Jesus Maria, La Joya, Mejiamora, 
Monte de San Nicolas, Rayas, San Pedro, Santa Lucia, Sirena, Socavon de San 
Cayetano, Valenciana. 

Guerrero : Colorin, Socavon, Tasco, Zarza Nueva. 

Hidalgo : Pachuca, Zimapan. 

Jalisco: Bramador, Cuale, Etzatlan, Iloztotipaquillo, Huachinango, Ixtlan, La 
Bautista, La Yesca, San Sebastian, Santo Tomas. 



42 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

Mexico •. Chalchitepcc, El Oro, Ixtlahuacan, Sultepec, Temascaltepec, Villa del 
Vallc, Zacoalpan. 

Michoacan: Aganguco, Tlalpujahua, 

Morclos: San Juan dc Dios. 

Niicva-Lcon ; iMienas Viejas, in the district of Villaldama. 

Oaxaca: Ixtlan, I'cnolcs, Talca, Totoloapan. 

Pucbla: Tctcla del Oro. 

Querctaro: Kl Doctor. 

San Luis Potosi : IJcrmalcjo, Catorce, Charcas, Guadalcazar, Matchuale, San Pedro. 

Sinaloa ; Alisitos, Atotonilco, Bacubirito, Hirimoa, Cajon, Calabazas, Cantar- 
ranas, Capula, Cosala, Chichi, Frcsnos, Fuerte, Joya, Limon, Panuco, San Ignacio, 
San Javier, San Jose de Gracia, San Lorenzo, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Sarabia, Tigre, 
Tule, Vcdras, Zapote. 

Sonora : Aduana, Alamos, Baucari, La Barranca, La Trinidad, Los Bronces, 
Minas Nuevas, Soyopa, Tesopaco, Zuviatc. 

Zacatccas: Bolanos, Carcamo, Ccdros, Chalchihuites, Fresnillo, Mazapil, Noria, 
Nieves, Sombrerete, San Juan de Guadalupe, Sierra Ilermosa, Pinos, Rio Grande, 
Teul, Pico de Freire, Zacatecas. 

The mineral districts given above are those from which was obtained the silver 
coined in the mints of the Republic during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1879, * 
total amount of $22,067,855 

SuLPHURET OF .SILVER is found in Guanajuato, Pachuca, Zacatecas and in Zacu- 
lapan, State of Mexico. Ruby silver in Morelos, .State of Chihuahua. Black silver 
in Chihuahua, Guanajuato and Zacatecas. Argentiferous galcnite in the greater 
part of the mines of the Republic. 

QUICKSILVER. 

Cinnabar is found in the .State of Durango : Pregoncs and Chiltepi ; State of 
Guerrero: EI Puesto, Jalisco ; Guadalcazar, .San Luis Potosi; El Doctor, Quere- 
taro, and la Trinidad; in the cerro of Tippocancs, State of Zacatecas. Hepatic 
cinnabar in Guadalupe Atargea, State of Guanajuato. Guadalcazarite in Guadal- 
cizar, State of San Luis Potosi. Onofrita in mine of .San Onofre, State of Qucre- 
taro. Livingstonite in Huitzuco, State of Guerrero. 

By referring to Humboldt, we find that New Spain in 1S03 consumed an annual 
amount of 2,100,212 Troy pounds of mercury. "The court of .Madrid, having 
reserved to itself the exclusive right of selling mercury, both .Spanish and foreign, 
entered in 1784 into a contr.-ict with the Emperor of Austria. When the price 
of mercury has progressively lowered, the working of the mines has gone on 
increasing. In 1590 a quintal of mercury was sold in Mexico for 1S7 piastres; 
but in 1750 the court distributed it to the miners at 82 piastres: in 1777 a royal 
decree fixed the price of the mercury of Almaden at 41 piastres, 2 reales, and that 
of Germany at 63 piastres." From an argument by General Rosecrans, before 
Congress, in December, 1S82, it appears, that, during thirty-three years, the quick- 
silver-mines of California have produced 1,310,095 flasks, or 100,222,267 pounds. 
California produces half the quicksilver of the world; that of the Old World, 
from the mines of Austria and Spain, being controlled by the Rothschilds, who, 
but for the mines of California and Mexico, would seriously retard all mining 
u|>crations, to which this valued product is essential in the reduction of ores. 



QUICKSILVER, IRON, COPPER, LEAD, ETC. 



IRON. 

Meteoric iron is found in the desert of San Carlos, State of Coahuila, and Jiqui- 
pilco, State of Mexico. Magnetic iron in "Encarnacion," State of Hidalgo, and 
in the State of Chihuahua. Red globular iron in Cerro del Mercado, in the State 
of Durango. Plumbago in the district of Zimapan, State of Hidalgo. 

Further allusion to the great mass of iron ore known as el Cerro del Mercado 
will be found under the Mines of Durango. Meteoric masses have been discovered 
in various portions of Mexico. Says a writer on Mexico; "The 'Arabian Nights' 
story of the mountain which consisted of a single loadstone finds its literal fulfil- 
ment in Mexico. Not far from Huetamo, on the road to the Pacific, there is 
a conical hill, composed entirely of magnetic iron ore. The blacksmiths in the 
neighborhood, with no other apparatus than their common forges, make it directly 
into wrought-iron, which they use for all ordinary purposes." 



COPPER, LEAD, SULPHUR, AND VARIOUS MINERALS. 

Common pyrites are found in mine of La Mala Noche, Zacatecas. Radiated 
pyrites in mines of Guanajuato and Zacatecas. Lead in Galena and Zimapan, State 
of Hidalgo ; and Asientos, State of Aguascalientes. Carbonate of lead in mine of 
San Nicola and Maconi, State of Queretaro; mine Negra in Jacala and Zimapan, 
State of Hidalgo. Sulphite of copper in Tepezala, State of Aguascalientes. Yel- 
low copper in Santa Clara, State of Michoacan ; Santa Rosalia, Chihuahua, and 
Agua Blanca, Jalisco. Native bismuth, in mine of Orito and in Ojo Caliente, State 
of Zacatecas. Bismuth silenide in mine of Santa Rosa, State of Guanajuato. 
Carbonate of bismuth in the Cerros del Desierto, State of San Luis Potosi. 
Ochre of bismuth in Vizarron, State of Queretaro. Zinc in mines of Tasco, State 
of Guerrero. Native suljshur in volcano of Popocatepetl; Orizaba, State of Vera 
Cruz, and Taximaroa, Michoacan. 

Regarding the ancient use of copper, Humboldt wrote : " Of all the metals, 
copper was that which was most commonly employed in the mechanical arts: it 
supplied the place of iron and steel to a certain extent ; and the arms of the 
Aztecs, axes, chisels, and all their tools, were made of the copper which they 
extracted from the mountains of Zacotollan and Cohuixco. Several men of great 
learning, but unacquainted with chemical knowledge, have maintained that the 
Mexicans and Peruvians possessed a particular secret for tempering copper, and 
converting it into steel. There is no doubt that the a.\es, and other Mexican tools, 
were almost as sharp as steel instruments; but it was by the admixture of tin, and 
not by any tempering, that they acquired this extreme hardness. ... In several 
provinces (of Anahuac), pieces of copper to which the form of a T was given, were 
used as currencv. Cortes relates, that having undertaken to found cannons in 
Mexico, and having despatched emissaries for the discovery of mines of tin and 
copper, he learned, that, in the environs of Tasco, the natives employed in exchange 
pieces of melted tin, which were as thin as the smallest coins of Spain." See also 
the author's text and cuts of ancient copper utensils, in "Travels in Mexico," 
p. 544. 



44 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

PRECIOUS STONES, OPALS, ETC. 

Rubies arc found in the Slate of Durango. Diamonds in the State of Guerrero 
and Tonalixco, in the direction of the Sierra dc Zongolica. Topazes in the Sierra 
dc Canoas, in the State of San Luis Potosi. Emeralds in Tejupitco, State of 
Mexico. Garnets in Xalostro, State of Morclos, and in the State of Chihuahua. 
Fine opals m Esperanza and Amealco, State of Querctaro, and in Real del Monte, 
State of Hidalgo. Common opals in Zimapan, State of Hidalgo. Stilbite in Stales 
of Chihuahua and Guanajuato. Quartzes, agates, carnelians, etc., in Real del Monte, 
.State of Hidalgo, and in the mine of San Rafael, State of San Luis Potosi. 
Various silicates in Buslamancia and Pachuca, State of Hidalgo. Xonatlacias in 
Xonotla, Stale of Puebla. 

The richest opalifcrous district is in Queretaro, in the environs of the hacienda 
of Esperanza, ten leagues (twenty-five miles) north-west of San Juan del Rio. This 
hacienda is surrounded by opal-bearing rocks; even the buildings pertaining to it 
being erected upon them. The opals of Esperanza were discovered in 1S55 by a 
servant of the place, but were not worked until 1S70, when the first mine was 
opened one league north-east of the hacienda, and called Santa Maria del Iris. 
Others followed, and now there are ten veins exposed. The rock in which the 
opals are found is a siliceous porphyry, the banks, or ridges, having a general 
direction from south-east to north-west, which may be plainly noted in the hill of 
Ctja de Leon — the Lion's Eyebrow. The mine called the Simpatica is the most 
noted for its great variety of opals, inasmuch as it is called a magazine of all 
known varieties. In the same morning one can obtain precious opals, arUquiiui; 
fire-opals, — girasols de fuegos, — semi-opals, etc. 

The precious opals are found both opaque and transparent, and presenting an 
infinite play of color, from ruby and metallic lustre, to violet blue, which is con- 
sidered as a rare and desirable color. The arlequines reflect a diversity of colors. 
'Dnc girasols display emerald tints upon a basic color of fiery red. 

In the neighboring hills are the mines of El Rosario, El Iris, I^ Peineta, and 
Providencia. As the opals are encountered disseminated throughout the matrix 
of porphyry, without any apparent system, their mining consists merely in sinking 
various wells, or small shafts, on the most likely spots, making use of augers, — 
kirrenos, — on account of the hardness of the rock containing the stones. When 
one of these shafts attains to a sufficient depth, it presents a really marvellous 
spectacle ; the rock glistening with a thousand rays of colored light. The color 
of the matrix varies from a grayish red to a reddish white, and the difference in 
color indicates the class of opal it contains. In the first are found the girasols, or 
fire-opals, though mi.\ed with others, similar ; but in the white porphyries, .is in 
those of the Ccrro of Peineta, are found in profusion cloudy opals as beautiful 
as those of Hungary and Guatemala.' 

Marhi.k. — Sierra de Puebla; las Aguas and Vizarron, State of Queretaro; 
and in the States of Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nucvo- Leon, etc. 

Mkxican O.nyx. — State of Puebla. 

Gypsum. — In Tamazula; State of Jalisco. 

Granitk. — State of Oaxaca; Ameca, State of Jalisco; Tamascaltcpec, .State 
of Mexico; and on the coast of Acapulco, .State of Guerrero. 

' Eitaditlica dt la Rtpublica. 



PRECIOUS STONES, OPALS, ETC. 45 

OnsrnrAN. — The most important article obtained from the earth, to the Aztec, 
was obsidian, a volcanic glass, called by them Itztli, a knife, or shining stone. 
Ancient mines of it are found to-day in many localities, particularly in the Ccrrij 
de las Navajas, near Pachuca, about which are scattered, it is said, hundreds of 
tons of fragments. Everywhere, over plain and valley, may be encountered knives, 
arrow and spear points, of obsidian, showing how numerous were the uses to 
which it was put during the time of the early people of Mexico. 

Porphyry. — Chihuahua: Hidalgo, Jalisco, Puebla, Queretaro, and Zacatecas. 

Potter's Clay. — In Guanajuato; and Leon of the same State. 

Salt Districts. — Lower California, Collma, Jalisco, Michoacan; San Luis, 
Potosi; Tequesquites, Tamaulipas; Valley of Mexico; Yucatan and Zacoalco. 

Tequesquite. — The surface exposed by the subsidence of Lake Tezcoco is 
sterile, treeless, almost herbless, but a few inches above that of the lake itself. 
Only a few plants appear upon it, belonging to the genera of Cratiola, Atriplex, 
etc.; such, in short, as thrive in a soil highly impregnated with saline substances. 

"The landscape," says a very intelligent writer, " is that of a dreary desert, in 
places resembling the African Sahara; but in other places more like a northern 
moorland, with a hoar-frost, or a slight sprinkling of snow upon the ground ; for 
here the te<ptcsqiiite appears, coating the surface, sometimes of a snow-white color, 
sometimes with a yellowish tinge. It is the natron, a mixture of carbonate and 
sulphate of soda. The poor people dwelling around the lake collect and bring it 
to market; and it is employed in various ways, — for washing, for the fabrication 
of soap, and also in the cooking of one of the most common of Mexican dishes, 
the frijoles. They also manufacture a coarse kind of salt out of the earth thus 
impregnated, by a rough process known to them in the days of Montezuma. It 
seems to ooze out of the earth, forming an efflorescence on the surface, sometimes 
to the extent of a uniform stratum of an inch or so in thickness." 

There is a very extensive deposit of this mineral salt in the State of Zacatecas, 
from which the miners of that section draw large quantities for use in smelting. 
This saline incrustation is formed on the surface of a shallow lake, which in a 
good year was estimated to yield ^p.ooo fanegas, or 360,000 arrobas (twenty-five 
pounds) yearly, and which was formerly worth one dollar the mule-load. The 
deposition depends upon the season, being best and thickest with an average 
rainfall. The only preparation it needs is to be gathered into conical, earth-covered 
hillocks, whence it is taken away by the purchasers. 

Copperas. — In Tepeji, State of Mexico; Barranca de Toliman, in Hidalgo; 
Taretan and Huetamo, State of Michoacan. 

Coals, and Mineral Oils. — Anthracite: In Tequisquiapan, State of Quere- 
taro, and Tecomatlan, Puebla. 

Pit Coal. — In Tecomatlan, State of Puebla. 

Petroleum. — Puerto Angel, State of Oaxaca. 

Naphtha. — In Guadalupe, Hidalgo, federal district. 

Stone Coal. — In Chamacuero, State of Guanajuato. 

For further details, see Resources of the various States, Industries, etc. 



46 MKX/C.IX /C/:S0L7CC/CS. 



MINING AND MILLING. 

jst, Can orc-rcflijcing Iw profitably carried on in this Republic so as to obtain 
through it an income? If so, to what extent ? 

2(1, Which is the part of the country most suitable for reducing silver and gold 
ores ? 

3d, Which of the known mining districts or zones offers for the future the best 
mining prospects, or best probabilities to the industry of reducing ores? 

In answer to these cpicstions, Sefior Miguel Rul, a leading mining engineer of 
Guanajuato, replies in svibslance through the columns of "The Two Republics " (an 
American pajicr published in Mexico), as follows : — 

(1) " The income will be variable, — in one year, perhaps, enormous, but in another 
small. It is advisable to erect reduction-works, especially for any one mine, but, 
where transportation is low, better to make one establishment suffice for a large 
group of mines. 

" My answer is therefore divided in two parts: Firstly, the business of reducing 
ores does not offer probabilities enough of yielding a lasting or perpetual i^eome, as 
is the case, for instance, with a farm or a house; but, secondly, said business, like all 
others not consisting only in landed property, may render in good ejjochs large 
profits, with which the capital laid out maybe reimbursed." 

{2) Guanajuato he considers the place at which reduction is best carried on. 

(3) " As regards the third question, I believe, that, in our times, the most suitable 
places of all the ones actually worked, to establish such a kind of business, should 
be the environs of Pachuca and Mazapil (where I am not interested at all), those of 
Salvatierra (which would favor my Guanajuato business), and, towards the south, 
some places well fitted to reduce ores from the growing mining districts of Guerrero, 
Morclos, and Oaxaca. With respect to future centres, of mining districts scarcely 
worked, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango may be at once pointed out as the most 
preferable ones." 

Sefior Rtd's description of the method of treating silver ores most used in Mexico 
is so valuable, that we herewith reproduce it. The " Patio System " originated in 
Mexico, and its use is peculiar to the country. 

Crauceo (crushing). — The first oper.ition to which ores are submitted in order to 
rcdtice them consists in their being ground into small lumps in mills, called Cliileitos 
(Chilians), substantially consisting of a large vertical iron or stone wheel pierced at 
its centre by a horizontal shaft, to which mules arc attached to furnish motive- 
power. The ground upon which the wheel operates is a circle c" 49 wide, formed 
by iron pieces of the same material and thickness as the wheel-tire. Itctwecn this 
circle and the vertical shaft there is a sieve, in the sha])e of a truncate cone, into 
which lumps are shovelled, falling afterwards into a reservoir placed underneath 
the mill. 

The crushed ores are taken to the hoppers, and thence to the grinding mills, or 
arrnstres, where they are to be ground, or reduced to a very fine mud, — an operation 
upon which depends the quantity of silver and gold obtained. The locality where 
the arrastres arc situated is called the Gtilera. 

The arntitre is a circle 3^ 50 diameter, constructed with flags inserted into the 
ground, the interstices between them filled up with pebble, and then with fine sand 



THE PATIO PROCESS. 



47 



and water. At the centre a large and thicker stone is placed, called cepo (stock), 
intended to receive a vertical post, called /^c;/, which is turned by means of a pole, 
to which two mules are set to move the apparatus, dragging a large stone, hung bv 
means of c4iains to each one of the cross-arms. These stones are called voladoras 
(runners). Their length is a little shorter than the radius of the arrastre. They are 
cut in four-face prisms, and weigh about nine hundred weight, and are, as welf as 
those forming the bottom of the arrastre, a hard quartzose porphyry. 

In constant operation, the runners last about two months, and the bottom stones, 
about sixteen months. The quantity of ore ground in one arrastre of the given 
dimensions, de niarca (standard), varies from eight to twelve hundred weight. Dur- 
ing the twenty-four hours required to grind said quantity of ore, twenty or twentv- 
six hundred weight of water is required. 

The quantity of water put into an ar7-astre, and the manner of feeding it, have a 
great influence on the success of the grinding as well as on the amount of gold to 
be found in the sediment ; and much depends upon the capitan de galcra, or foreman. 

When the ore is reduced to fine mud, after twenty-four hours' work, — that is to 
say, when at the bottom of the arrastre no sand is found, — the arrastre is dis- 
charged, provided the mud be not too curdy, which is shown by the hand emerging 
from it as if it were japanned. Such being the case, more water is to be added, 
and the mud to be tried again, after having worked it a little while. 

When the sand is perfectly fine, the upper part of the contents of the arrastre is 
taken out, and new ore put into it to complete its load. 

To discharge the arrastre, the mud is taken from it to large reservoirs, called 
lameros, where the mud worked every day is put together until having the necessary 
quantity to form a cake. The arrastj-es must not be totally emptied, because, how- 
ever perfect the grinding may be, a certain portion of badly ground ore alwavs 
remains at the bottom, besides running the risk of throwing into the reservoir 
a part of the amalgam which always exists at the bottom of the arrastre. 

Extraction of Gold. — On commencing the grinding in an arrastre, either by 
having provided it with a new bottom, or by its having been scraped, the interstices 
between the bottom, flags are filled up with fine sand; then, in order to level the 
arrastre,- a small quantity of poor ore is ground. If the arrastre be not a new 
one, but only scraped, the fine sand may be dispensed with, as the grinding of poor 
ore serves the purpose. The arrastre being levelled, a quantity of quicksilver 
amalgamated with some other metal, as silver, copper, zinc, etc., is thrown to the 
bottom, — an operation \vhich is called enipellar, — taking care to evenly spread the 
amalgam on the bottom. The quantity of amalgam to be put into an arrastre 
depends upon the amount of gold contained in the ore, as well as upon the quantity 
of ore to be ground within the time elapsing between the scraping operations, 
according to custom or convenience. 

In general, when eight hundred weight of ore are daily ground in an arrastre, 
twelve pounds of amalgam are employed, in which there are about nine and a half 
pounds of quicksilver. The quantity of amalgam put at the beginning of the opera- 
tion is insufificient to gather all the gold and a portion of the silver contained in the 
ore, as in the course of the operation the amalgam loses its gathering propertv. 
Hence it is necessary to gradually add small quantities of quicksilver; to ascertain 
which, trials of the arrastre are made two or three times a week, or oftener if the 
ores be very rich, in order to know their condition. The trials are made as follows: 



48 j\//-:.\'/c.ix A'/-:sorA'c/£s. 

The anattif is divided by the runners in four equal parts: wlicn a trial is to be 
made, tlie runners are placed in a given position, which is to be clianged at the 
moment of effecting the trial. One of the four compartments of tlic arrastn is 
emptied; and, when the bottom is exposed to view, small quantities of mud are 
taken from the interstices, fornung with them balls, which are placed in an orderly 
manner in a box with compartments, numbered as the compartments of tiic anastre, 
in order to avoid confusion. 

The balls are washed ; and from the appearance of the sediment the condition 
of the mud is ascertained. If the sediment appear compact, or divided in large 
pieces, it proves that the mud is well saturated with quicksilver, and the operation 
can go on; but should the mud be too much pulverized, almost powdered, then 
it is too drv, and wants more quicksilver, until it becomes as fluid as at the begin- 
ning of the operation. In the former case, the pressure of the mud with the 
(ir.ger forms a while and shining surface : in the latter instance, it forms a dark and 
opaque one. An accurate account of the quantity of quicksilver put into each 
arrastre is kept, so as to know at any moment the total amount employed in the 
gtilera: hence the approximate quantity of silver in all the arras(res. From ores 
without pure silver, ten or twelve per cent of the alloy contained in the whole 
grinding is gathered ; but the best way to ascertain it is to assay the amalgam, 
taking small quantities from each trial in order to estimate the condition of the 
gaUra. Said assays show very accurately the amount of gold and silver contained 
in all the arrastres. 

When the amalgam is considered rich, enough, or when it is thought that its 
quantity at the bottom of the arrastie is too large (which would be detrimental to 
the grinding operation), the scraping operation is commenced. This consists in 
taking out the flags forming the bottom of the arrastrt, extracting with liooks from 
the interstices all the earth which may contain amalgam. The operation ends, 
when, assaying the earth taken from the interstices, no amalgam is found in it. 
It would be no inconvenience, however, to leave a small quantity of amalgam in 
the earth, as it will be picked out when putting new bottom to the arraslre. The 
earth is washed, adding to it a suitable amount of quicksilver, and putting it into 
large trays, where the amalgam settles, containing about eighteen to twenty-two 
pounds of mixed silver for a hundred pounds of quicksilver used in \\\'t gal eras. 

Palio {yard). — The/a//<» is a large yard paved with flags very well adjusted to 
each other, so as to prevent as much as possible the escajiing of the quicksilver, 
and with declivity enough to allow the running of the rain-water without carrying 
the mud of the cakes which are to be placed over the flags. The cakes are formed 
with the ground ore which is to be worked upon. Whenever there is in the lamero 
(reservoir) mud enough to form a cake (about a hundred moiitoius, though they are 
sometimes larger), the mud is thrown in the yard, taking care of daily taking out 
from the lamero any excess of water that may be there. The mud is received into 
another provisional reservoir, constructed over the yard in the space to be occupied 
by the cake, which reservoir is called cajete ; and its size is such as to allow the 
mud to form a cake c" 25 to c" 30 thick. The cake is allowed to settle itself, 
being perforated now and then, to make the water on its surf.ice gradually flow out. 
This operation, together with the spontaneous evai>oration. pre|)ares the cake for 
salting within four or six days. Before salting the mud, it must be assayed, taking 
from different points in the reservoir small (quantities of mud by means of a wooden 



ASSAV/A'G AND SALTING THE ORE. 49 

rod, wnich is pushed down to the bottom in order to have mud from the bottom, 
the centre, and the superficies of the cake. The mud thus collected is put together, 
well mixed up, and ready to effect the assay. The assay gives to the cake a rich- 
ness lower than the one obtained when assaying the ground ore ; which difference 
is caused both by the silver remaining in the arrastre and by the wear of the latter, 
which, increasing the bulk of the cake, abates its relative richness. The ijuantity 
of gold obtained in this assay will give an exact idea of the amourft to be collected 
from the arrastres, consequently, of the degree of perfection attained in such an 
interesting operation. It is to be borne in mind that the assay of the cake, which 
serves as a basis to estimate the ore, as well as the results of the reduction, is made 
both by the miner who sells the ore and by the reducer who purchases it. Hence 
the results of two different assays show the true value of the ore, with a proper 
allowance for reduction, provided the operation be accurate. It is also to be 
borne in mind that it is untrue, as some misinformed foreign writers have asserted, 
that our assays show a richness thirty per cent lower than the right one; for, since 
the exportation of ores is allowed, many a quantity of them has been sold to 
Europe, the assays made there having given a result very similar to ours. 

The quantity of salt to be put in a cake varies according to the richness of the 
ore, and it is impossible to state a constant proportion. We have only noticed 
that the fluctuation takes place in the same direction ; that is to say, the richer the 
mud is, the larger the quantity of salt required; so that, for instance, when the 
quantity of silver in a moiiton is from four to six marks, 125 pounds of salt are re- 
quired, which is equivalent to 3.90 per cent of the mud. If the richness be from 
six to ten marks, 150 pounds of salt will be added, say 4.68 per cent. On adding 
the salts to the cake, it must be evenly distributed over the surface in order that 
its action may be uniform on the whole mass. 

Chlorure of sodium constitutes the active principle of salt, and is one of the agents 
indispensable for amalgamation. The common salt used in the reduction of ores 
contains other substances, such as chlorures of calcium and magnesium, sulphates of 
the same bases and of soda, carbonates of soda and lime, some earth, and other acci- 
dental substances. All those impurities being very variable, even in salts coming 
from the same mine, and having great influence upon the result and duration of ore- 
reduction, the salt must be assayed previous to being added to the cake in order to 
ascertain the quantity of chlorure of sodium it contains. Besides, it must be borne 
in mind that to employ poor salt, or to' use an insufficient quantity of it, will prove 
very detrimental. 

The cake being salted, with the above precautions, the first repaso is practised. 
Kepaso is the name people give to the operation of stirring the mud mixed with the 
substances required for reducing ores, and is performed by mules, which are caused 
to continually walk over the cake during eight hours. Twenty-four mules gener- 
ally are employed for a cake containing a hundred inontottes (about 147 net tons). 

On the day following the salting of the cake ; the magistral and quicksilver are 
added, an operation called ittcorforo (incorporation). Both the above substances 
are to be perfectly spread over the surface of the cake ; which operation offers no 
difficulty at all, as the magistral is powdered, and the quicksilver is strained through 
a linen, pressed by hand, and takes the form of small balls, coming out like drops 
of rain. After having incorporated the cake, another stirring is immediately effected, 
repeating said operation every other day, from six in the morning to two in the after- 



50 MEXJCA.V KESOUIiCES. 

noon. On the very iLiy the stirring is made, the cake is overturned, so as to have 
the whole mass perfectly mixed up. This operation is made with shovels handled 
by men; its purpose lieing to cause the mud to l)e equally affected by the mules, the 
combination of the substances added, and the action of the sun. 

The quantity of niagislriil used depends upon several circumstances, the main one 
being the amount of sulphate, of copper it contains, as it is a well-known fact that 
said ingredient 'is a double sulphur of cojiper and iron, which by calcination assumes 
the condition of sulphate of the same metals, but mixed with variable quantities of 
metallic oxides. The kind of the ore to be reduced, and the atmospherical tempera- 
ture, are als6 to be taken into consideration when stating the proportion. With 
regard to the first influence, it is obvious, that, the richer in sulphate of copper the 
magistral is, the smaller the quantity required. As a general rule, we may say that 
pure crystallized sulphate of copper is added at the rate of seven or eight pounds to a 
montoit of ore having from five to eight marks of silver. As regards the second 
influence, — that is to say, the kind of ore to be reduced, — nothing but practice can 
ascertain it, and suggest the quantity of magistral to be used. Regarding the third 
influence, — viz., atmosjjherical temperature, — we can only state, that, under similar 
circumstances, less magistral is required in winter than in sunnner time. Quicksilver 
is in general put at the rate of four pounds to each mark of silver in the cake, as 
per the assay made before salting it, better still, as per the result of the assay made 
with the granza, deducting the metal which has remained in the arrastres. The 
quicksilver is put in smaller quantity than the one above mentioned ; but, in the 
course of the reduction, small portions are gradually fed, when the assay hereafter 
alluded to shows that the amalganiation wants quicksilver. 

After the cake has been incorporated and stirred, another experiment is made, 
called teiitadura, in order to ascertain the effects the ingredients are producing. 
Said assay is practised every day, in the morning (also at noon, when the cake has 
been stirred), taking about half a pound of mud from different parts of the cake, 
— now from the superficies, now from the bottom, or from both, according to the pur- 
pose in view. The mud is dissolved in water contained in a dark-bottomed vessel, 
which is a small tray made of a gourd called .^'W^/V; then the mud is washed (taking 
care not to rub it either against the vessel or between the fingers) by a rotary move- 
ment, the water carrying away the earth and other useless parts ; then, ])utting in clean 
water, the vessel is lightly shaken, so that the different components of the remaining 
sediment may take their respective places, according to their different densities, in 
order to be inspected; finally, a few drojis of water are skilfully sprinkled with 
the fingers into the gourd, a little over the place occupied by the ore. 

The characteristics of the ore are offal or refuse (called lis d( azoj^tiA, limature, 
metallic sediment or fine powder, and a globule formed by the detached quicksilver. 
Offal, so called because it is the somewhat modified and greatly subdivided quick- 
silver, forms a white and tarnished stripe on the upper part of the ore, — a reason why 
it is also called cabeza (head), — and on being rubljed between the fingers forms 
small globules of quicksilver. Limature is a white and shining stripe, which on 
being rubbed with the thumb becomes a thin sheet of amalgam, called /(»////<?. The 
metallic sediment, also called body of the hard cake, is composed of the unreduced 
ore and some of the substances accompanying it. 

'I"hc quick.silver glubule at the bottom gives, when strongly compressed with the 
thumb, a certain amount of amalgam, which increases as the reduction advances. 



ADDING THE QUICKSILVER AND MAGISTRAL. 51 

Sometimes, when the reduction is near completion, the quicksilver does not form 
globules, but is diffused. 

When the limaturo has the same color as the amalgam, and gives forth a small 
amount of silver; when the offal forms a narrow and opaque stripe; finally, when 
the globule is dear and shining, with little grains on its surface, and, strongly 
compressed with the finger, gives out an amalgam that makes in the gourd a while 
mark, — then it may be said that the reduction is going on the right way. If the 
offal be ash-colored, and the'limature rather opaque and soft, thus showing its being 
.overloaded with quicksilver; if, besides, the color of the globule be dark-gray, and 
the ama.lgam it contains, on being separated by pressure, leaves on the gourd a 
track very prominently white-colored, producing something like whitish smoke, — 
then it is said that the cake is hot. The degree of heating is estimated by the 
evidence of the aforesaid features. When the lis and limature are very scarce, and 
the latter too juicy (the globule being elongated and depressed, yellowish or 
blackish colored), and the amalgam rendered by it leaves no track on scraping the 
gourd, then it is said that the cake is cold. 

In the trial made after the stirring following the incorporation, if the ore be 
not very rich, a narrow offal stripe and a small c[uantity of limature are all that 
appear at the top; hence, at the beginning of the reduction, if the ore be poor 
and rebellious, there is rather no other guidance than the quicksilver globules. 

When the cake becomes hot during the first reduction days, the evil may be 
prevented by adding either a certain quantity of fresh mud from the reservoir, 
or some precipitate of copper; but, should the heating be noticed at the end of the 
operation, precipitate of 'copper, ashes, and salt should be put in. 

The action of cold is overborne by throwing into the cake a small quantity 
of magistral^ or sulphate of copper, in order to increase its strength. 

When the reduction process goes on rightl)', it may be noticed, that, on the 
twentieth day, the limature and metallic sediment the silver contains begin to 
decrease, while the globule abounds with amalgam ; but those effects never appear 
before the thirtieth day when the ore is rebellious. 

On the cake being ready, a rapid increase of quicksilver lis is noticed, which, 
rubbed with the finger, becomes quicksilver globules, the limature disappearing at 
the same time. But, although those features are very prominent, they may in 
many an instance be deceitful. Such is especially the case when quicksilver is 
in excess, and salt scarce, either for not having put at first the necessary quantity 
of it, or for it having been consumed or carried out by the r.iin-water. In order 
to avoid perplexity, the amalgam is assayed, thus ascertaining the amount of silver 
e-xtracted ; and this indication, in conjunction with the other characteristics previ- 
ously found, gives the certainty that no larger amount of silver is to be e.vtracted. 

The above assays serve not only to show the yielding of the cake, but also the 
daily progress of the reduction process. It is a curious fact to be observed, that 
the results of the assays go on in a parallel line, so to say, with the indications of 
the amalgam, as hitherto explained ; so that those two means complete each other. 
Washing. — The reduction being finished at the yard, the cake is w^ashed in order 
to separate the mass of crude metal from the muddy and terreous part. The 
washing-place is formed by three or four large wooden or stone and mortar vats 
communicating with each other through large square holes called bilitroues. The 
first and last of said vats have also outside openings, — the first one to receive the 



52 MEXICAN RESOURCES. 

mud, and the last one to effect the discharging. Inside those vats is a four-arm 
churn-staff, which by its revolutions dissolves the mud, allowing the latter to 
remain at the surface of the water all the time necessary for the silver and 
quicksilver to settle themselves at the bottom. Before commencing to wash the 
cake, it must be softened by water in as large a quantity as to have the mud 
thoroughly fluid. Then the mud is carried through a large channel made on the 
very floor of the arnistre, dragging it along by means of a frame of laths pulled 
by a mule, until the mud is thrown into the first vat, called cargadora. When the 
filling operation is over, with the vats half-full with water, the churn is caused to 
rapidly revolve during half an hour, — an operation called hatir (to beat); then the 
vats are filled up with water, the churn is slowly revolved (aseutar, to settle) during 
an hour and a half, at least, in order to be sure of the operation ; then the dis- 
charging follows. But a. trial is made before, to see whether the settling has been 
perfectly made, introducing into the last vat but one a small vessel hermetically 
closed, which, when level with the vat-hole, is opened by means of a peculiar device, 
its contents being received into a gourd, there to be assayed. If the settling has 
been perfect, a stripe of quicksilver lis or offal appears, which on being rubbed 
does not form any globule, also some pyrites and terreous parts ; but, should the 
stripe give forth any quicksilver globule, then the settling has been imperfect, and 
must be continued until the above-mentioned characteristics are obtained. Then 
the discharging begins, unstopping the last vat, called fiojo, in order to have it 
emptied down to the opening level. Another assay is made, for security's sake, 
so that any defect noticed may be corrected at once. 

The vats are filled up again, repeating all the aforesaid operations, until the 
whole of the cake is washed. Then comes the rinsing operation (en jiuignr), 
pouring fresh water into the vats, beating and settling again, so as to clean out 
all the mud. 

As the quantity of mud put in each filling is proportional to the capacity of the 
vats, the washing takes more or less time. Vats yn 35 diameter by im 67 deep, 
generally contain three or four tnontoncs. As each partial washing takes about two 
hours, to wash a cake of one hundred moiitoiies requires three or four days. When 
the respective situations of the yard and the washing-place do not allow the mud 
to be dragged as aforesaid, it is carried by men in large troughs. 

Apurar (to purify). — This is the next operation, consisting in taking from the 
vats the settled metal, the larger part of which is found in the first vat, mi.xcd up 
with cabecilla, that is to say, the ore, which, not being reduced to mud, appears 
like sand. This sand is put into large and deep troughs, which are kept over the 
water in a large basin, and undergo an oscillatory and revolving movement, so 
that the metal may settle at the bottom, adding to that end a quantity of quick- 
silver, which leads down the smaller particles. 

As the metal so gotten contains, however, earth and other impurities, the cleans- 
ing operation (//>////<;) comes next, to have the metal completely purified. The 
mass of crude metal is taken to the azoqneriii, where it is thrown into a circular 
stone basin well covered with bitumen : more quicksilver is added to it, stirring 
it through, so that the impurities remain at the surface. If some hard grains be 
found, they are taken out and ground, incorporating them afterwards with the mass 
in the basin. 

When the mass of crude metal is thoroughly cleaned, it must be dried^ so as to 



WASHING AND ROASTING THE ORE. 53 

have it in a mass condition. To obtain such an effect, the crude metal is thrown 
into a conical bag (vuxiiga), hung to a beam by means of strong chains. The upper 
part of said bag is made of hide, and of wool the lower one ; so that the quicksilver 
may pass through its interstices. The very weight of the mass compressed into 
the bag causes the quicksilver to How out ; but, in order to quicken the operation, the 
bag is beaten with wooden mallets, until no quicksilver comes out. 

The mass is then thrown into iron moulds, to form sectors of a cylinder, called 
manjiu-hu o hollos (cakes or bars), afterward proceeding to separate by fire the 
quicksilver they may contain. 

Roastitig. — The roasting is done in an apparatus, called capellina, consisting of a 
circular cast-iron or copper vessel called bacin, and inserted into the floor, which is 
formed with fire-proof stones very well adjusted to each other and to the bacin. 
The superficies formed by those stones, which is called planta, has also a circular 
shape ; the stones being cut in such a manner as to leave around the bacin a canal, 
where water is constantly running during the roasting. The bacin has at its bottom 
an opening, through which the quicksilver separated by the fire-action escapes into 
a cavity in a sewer connected to a reservoir, called desazogadera, where the condensed 
quicksilver resulting from the roasting operation is collected. 

An iron piece, called candclero, is placed into the bacin ; said caudelo-o consisting of 
a ring, a disk with a hole in its centre, both parts secured by four iron rods. The 
candclero is situated so that the disk overtops the floor. Over said disk another one 
is placed, likewise bored in its centre, and cMed plalillo. On the latter are placed, 
the metal bars, alternating their edges, and forming a hollow centred cylinder called 
pina, which is covered by a cast-iron, bras.s, or copper bell, carefully packing with 
moistened ashes the joints between the bell and the bacin. Then the bell is wrapped 
up with long bricks, leaving a hollow space to be filled with coal, so that the fire 
may come in contact with the bell. Then the fire is kindled, and kept burning dur- 
ing ten or twelve hours. After allowing the bell to cool itself, the cover is taken 
away, and the metal bars are found unmelted, but free from quicksilver, provided 
the operation be successful. In order to be sure of it, any moist body, for instance, 
a piece of iron or wood, is approached to the bars. Should the roasting be imper- 
iect, some quicksilver vapors will condense on the moist body, showing that the 
operation ought to go on. 

Extraction of Polvillos. — Both on scraping the arrastrcs and on washing the 
amalgam, a certain amount of fine sand is obtained, containing variable quantities 
of silver, especially argentine pyrites, a great deal richer in gold than the ground ore. 
The separation of those metallic parts is performed by means of certain concentrat- 
ing apparatus, called //(Z«///(ii', variable in their form; the more usual ones being 
boxes with declivious bottoms, about two metres long by one metre wide. On the 
upper part of said boxes the ore to be concentrated is placed; throwing to it some 
water, which drags down the terreous substances, leaving the powder on the upper 
part, although mixed with different substances. To get their complete purification, 
it is necessary to again and again wash the residue. 

A certain quantity of i\\t f>clla — escaped from the washing-vats when discharging 
them, or from the troughs when purifying the cake — is likewise obtained. The con- 
centrated portions are called polvillos (fine powder), which are ground again in the 
arrastrc, and calcidated to be used instead of magistral ; or are first calcinated, and 
afterwards ground, in order to extracf from them a part of the gold and silver they 



54 



MEXICAN RESOURCES. 



contain. As much as two per cent of the ore richness is generally gotten out of the 
fchillos, although said rate may vary according to the kind of ore. 

Kesults olUahieJ from the Kfiiuctioii. — Tiie amount of silver extracted from the 
cake, added to the one settled on the arrastrts bottom, is never equivalent to the 
amount indicated by the assays of the ground ore. There is always a loss, amount- 
ing in nornuil circumstances to five or eight per cent ; it being also noticed, that, for 
each silver mark obtained, ten or twelve pounds of quicksilver arc wasted. 

Of the amount of gold indicated by the assay of the ground ore, seventy-five per 
cent is gotten when gold is pure, and no more than forty per cent, even less, w hen in 
pyrites. 



A/'proxinintc cost of redncius^ thirty-two hundred weii^ht of ore (one nion/on), the friee 
of Indian corn l<eini^ 5'-37 1' f'i'>-'a''> ^"'^ ■ S% i^^uls the price of twenly-fii'e pounds of 
straw . — 



Crushing. 

Food for 8 mules, per week . . $io oo 

4 l.iborcrs 'J 50' 

I driver 5 oo 

Wenr and ic.ir 4 oo 

\\".igcs on 6 nights' work ... 19 oo 



$5' 50 
which, divided by 56.25 7n(<ntnnfs gener- 
ally crushed in one week, wiih 24 hours 
as daily work, gives, as cost per one 
tiioiiton $0 92 



Grindinq: 
Food for 130 mules, at iSJ^ cents 

per day, 7 d.iys $'7° (>^M 

1 foreman 

1 second foreman 

3 men for the hopper, at $3.00 . 
5 men for the nmntrvs, at 

$4.00 

3 watchmen, at $4.00 .... 
s yard-keepers, at $3.00 . . . 

I man at the well 

170 bottom flags 10 6254 

13 runner stones, at $2.50 . . 32 50 



'3 


00 


7 


00 


9 


00 


20 


00 


12 


00 


6 


00 


3 


00 



$283 75 

which, divided by 56.25 montones, gives 

per each one of them 



Yard. 
25 mules to stir 100 montones : 

Mules $4 esji 

7 laborers 3 50 

Per mon/on, 8 cents, stirring 14 

times ^112 

125 2 salt 2 50 

13 lbs. sulphate, at $12 per hun- 
dred weight '56 

1 foreman $5 co 

2 watchmen .... 10 00 



$15 00 



Say to 1 ntonton 



o 28 $5 46 



JVashinj^, Purifying, and Roastinj^. 

10 mule.s, 4 days $7 5° 

Sundry expenses 38 00 

8 liunJred weight coal, at 75 cents, 6 00 

$51 50 
Say to a w/fw/cw . . _ 



General Expenses. 

Wages $65 00 

25 00 



Rent 

Wear and tear and sundries 



25 00 
$115 00 



To 1 tnonlcn 



Cost of reducing t tnonlcn $14 15 



REDUCTION OF ORES. 

The fatio process, invented by the miner of Pachuca, says Humboldt, "is one of 
those chemical operations which for centuries have been pr.ictiscd with a certain 
degree of success, notwithstanding the jsersons who extract silver from ores by 
means of mercury have not the smallest accpiaintancc either with the nature of the 
substances employed, or the particular n»odc of their action. The azopicros speak 



MIiXLYG NOMENCLATURE J COINAGE. 



55 



of a mass of ores as of an organized bo^dy, of which they augment or diminish the 
natural heat. Like physicians, who in ages of barbarism divided all ailments and all 
remedies into two classes, hot and cold, the azo^'iu'ros see nothing in ores but sul> 
stances which must be heated by sulphates if they are too cold, or cooled by alkalies 
if too warm." 



SILVER: SYSTEM OF " BENEFICIATING" EMPLOYED (1880) 



States. 


Patio. 
Kilograms. 


ToNEL. 

Kilograms. 


LiXIVIACION. 

Kilograms. 


FfEGO. 

Kilograms. 


Total 

Kilograms 

Pure Silver. 


Zacatecas 

Guanajuato .... 

Hidalgo 

San Luis Polosi . . . 

Jalisco 

Sonora 

Durfengo 

Chihuahua 

Sinaloa 

Mexico 

Michoacan 

Oaxaca 

Guerrero 

Puebla 

Queretaro 


109,076 412 

104,310 530 

46,390 335 

30,322 306 

34,222 216 

28 974 

15,800 123 

8,619 534 

5.551 168 

3.147 353 

2,693 645 

121 721 

• 


20,840 170 
3.663 673 


14,207 727 
1,900 044 


8,341 449 

1,001 091 

28,271 478 

37.5'6 555 

i8,6So 348 

12.734 574 

17,406 3S0 

6.153 847 

5,762 262 

3.382 358 

24 850 

2,005 6l2 

712 991 

230 S72 


117,417 861 

103,311 621 

95,501 983 

67,838 861 

34,222 216 

32,917 049 

28,534 697 

27.925 958 

11,705 015 

8,909 615 

6,076 003 

3,810 244 

2,005 612 

712 991 

230 872 


Amount 


360,284 317 


24,503 843 


16,107 771 


142,224 667 


543,120 598 



RfiSUMfi. 

Kilograms. 

By patio . 360,284 317 

By tonel 24,503 843 

By lixiviacion 16,107 771 

"By fire 142,224 667 



Mining A'oincnclahire. — The following translations will be found to contain most 
of the terms in general use about mines in Mexico. Assessments, exhibiciones ; 
assay, ensaye ; a claim, pertenencia; blast, cohete ; boiler, caldera; crosscut, crucero ; 
croppings, creston; drain, desaguar; drill-hole, barreno; dividends, dividendos; 
dump pile, terreros ; drill, taladro ; dip of ledge, echada ; engine, maquina de vapor ; 
extension, proroga ; front wall, respaldo alto*, foot wall, respaldo bajo; gold, oro; 
hand-drill, barrena ; hoisting whim, malacate ; iron, hierro ; locating, denuncio ; mill 
and works, hacienda ; mine corners, mojoneras; mine, mina; ore, metal; powder, 
polvora ; pump, bomba ; quicksilver, azogue ; shaft, tiro ; silver, plata ; slag, esco- 
rias; shareholders, accionistas; steam drill, perforador; tunnel, socavon ; ton, tone- 
lada; vein, veta; arroba, 25 pounds; quintal, 100 pounds; carga, 300 pounds; 
monton, 3,000 pounds ; marco, about $8.85 ; metro, 39.37 inches ; vara, 2 feet 9 
inches. 



56 



MICX/CAX RESOUJ^CES. 



Laborers in an Ordinary Miiu, and their Aiurage W/^« (weekly). — i adininis- 
trador, $25.00; i rayador, $6.00; 2 mincros, at ^6.00; i capitan de patio, S5.00; I 
bartolincro, $4.00; i portero, $3.50; 2 ficrrcros, at ^3.50; 3 vcladores, at $3.50; 12 
dcstajeros (by tlic job), at $30.00. 

Day Laborers. — liarratcros rayados, 62 cents ; pconcs, 50 cents ; mantcros, 75 
cents; palcros, $1.00; cajoucros, 87 cents; contras, 50 cents; arreadorcs, 37 cents; 
quebradorcs, 37 cents; carrctoncros, 40 cents; corralcros, 31 cents; garraferos, 31 
cents. 

COINAGE OF THE MEXICAN MINTS. 

The mint of Mexico was cstablislicd in 1535, fourteen years after the capture of 
the Aztec city, under the first viceroy sent out from Sjjain. 

The most careful estimates, in 1S76, placed the total coinage at nearly $3,000,- 
000,000: — 





Silver. 


Gold. 




$2,082,260,657 

787,055,080 

5.272.855 


$68,778,411^ 
47.327.383 










And we have up lo 1875, in copper, silver, and gold .... 




$2,q9o,694,386 



The average annual coinage was at that time (1S76) estimated at $20,500,000. 

For ten years, this would be $205,000,000; making total coinage to 1SS5, $3,195,- 
694,3S6. 

That this estimate is not exaggerated, we are convinced by the actual returns for 
the economic year 1S79, taken from the government statistics, and presumably 
accurate : — 



COINAGE FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1879. 



Mints. 


Gold. 


Silver. 


Coffer. 


Total. 


Mexico 

Zacalccas 

Guanajuato 

Sau Luis Potosi .... 

Guadalajara 

Chihuahua 

Culiacan 

Durango 

Alamos 

Hcrmoiiillu 

Oaxaca 


$304,500 00 

50,111 00 

312,158 00 

3,830 00 

49,330 00 

83.935 00 

13,700 00 

1,360 00 

3,700 00 


$5,116,000 00 

4.597.939 5° 

3.740.403 75 

3,510,110 00 

1,413,161 00 

806,035 00 

891,951 00 

854,883 50 

756,598 IS 

555,650 00 

153,610 00 


$14,800 00 
1,500 00 


$5,435,300 00 

4,648,050 50 

3.952.561 75 

3,519,110 00 

1,418,491 00 

806,035 00 

941,181 00 

878,817 50 

770.298 15 

557,010 00 

157,310 00 




$663,534 00 


$ai. 405.330 90 


$16,300 00 


$33,084,154 90 



MEXICAN COINS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 57 



r£sum£. 

Gold $662,524 00 

Silver 21,405,330 90 

$22,067,854 90 

Copper cents {cottavos) 16,300 00 

Total coinage in the year (economic) of 1879 $22,084,15490 

COINAGE. 



Ohi Coinage. 

Ouza dc oro (gold ounce) . 16 dollars = ^3.04 

iledia onza d doblc pistola . 8 " — 1.12 

Pistola (one-fourth onza) . 4 

Esciido de oro (gold escitdo), 2 " 

Escttdito de oro i " 

Peso f tier te de plata (silver 

dollar) I " 

Toston (silver half of a dollar) , 4 reales 
Peseta (silver quarter of a 

dollar) 2 " = o.ot 

/?f(j/ (silver eighth of a dollar), i2j^cents= 6Jid. 
Medio real (silver sixteenth 

of a dollar) 6}4 " 



= 0.16 



0.04 



0.04 
0.02 



Old Coinage — Contimced. 

Cuartilla (silver thirty-second of a dollar), 3 cents. 
Tlaco (copper), half of a cuartilla, 

Nc-d) Coinage. 

Gold 20 pesos 20 dollars = £^.o 

Piece of 10 pesos 10 " = 2.0 

Piece of 5 /f Joj 5 " = i.o 

S\\\sri (,\o dine ros 20 graiios) , X " = 04 

A half, 50 ceutazios .... 50 cents = 0.2 

A quarter, 25 centavos ... 25 " = o.i 
A tenth, 10 ....... lo " 

A twentieth, 5 5 " = 2^d. 

Copper I I " = ^d. 



Nickel coins, in i, 2, 3, and 5 cent denominations, were issued in 1SS3, but did not 
meet with favor fiom the people, who preferred silver. 

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

Weiirhts. 



I onza (8 ochavos) 


= I 


ounce. 


1 mar CO (S onzas) 


= 0^ 


pound. 


I libra (2 marcos) 


= I 


pound. 


I arroba (25 libras) 


= 25 


pounds. 


I quintal (4 arrobas) 


= 100 


pounds. 


I carga (3 quintals^ 


= 300 


pounds. 


I fanega (140 pounds) 


= 2 


bushels, nearly 


I aluiner {alinuerza) 


= 0V12 


of 3. fanega. 


I frasco 


= 5 


pints, nearly. 


Measures. 





1 foot measures 0.928 foot English. 

I 7'ara (3 feet Mexican) equals 2.784 feet English, or 2 feet 9.3141 inches English. 

I league (26.63 to i meridian) equals 5,000 varus, or 2.636 miles English. 



New Aleasures. 

Kilometro (kilometre) equals 1,000 metres or i,oS6 yards. 
Metro (metre) equals 100 centimetres, or i yard 3}^ inches. 
Centimetro (centimetre) equals 2j4 hundredths to an inch. 

The metric system is legal in Me-xico, and coming into general use, as it should 
be in the United States also, insuring ' uniformity in weights and measures 
throughout the continent. 



MAP OF THE 

FiTCHBURC RAILROAD 



AND CONNECTIONS. 




THE FAVORITE FAST TRAINS OF THE 

Fitchburg Railroad 

(HoosAC Tunnel Route) 
TO ALL POINTS WEST 

Arc equipped with New and Elegant Pullman 

Palace Drawing-Room & Sleeping Cars. 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



ROUTE I. 



From. 


To. 


Distance. 


Time. 




City of Mexico 

City of IMexico 

City of Mexico 

City of Mexico 


3,883 miles. 
3,730 miles. 
2,871 miles. 
2,665 miles. 


172 hours. 
162 hours. 
134 hours. 


New York 

Chicago 







SPECIMEN TIME-TABLES. 

(A) BOSTON, VIA CHICAGO, TO CITY OF MEXICO. 

routes: 
Eastern time. Central time. 

Leave Boston 8.30 a.m. (Hoosac Tunnel Route) arr. Chicago 6.45 2d p.m. 

" Boston 6.00 p.M " Chicago 8.00 2d a.m. 

" Chicago 12.30 P.M. (Burlington Route) " Kansas City 9.00 a.m. 

Mountain time. 
" Kansas City 10.00 A.M. (via Atchison, Topeka, & Sta. Fd), " El Paso 4.30 3d p.m. 

" El Paso 6.30 P.M. (Paso del Norte 7.15) " City of Mexico 7.10 3d A.M. 



(B) 



BOSTON, VIA ST. LOUIS, TO CITY OF MEXICO. 



ROITTES: 

Leave Boston 3.00 p.m. (Hoosac Tunnel Route) 

" St. Louis 9.00 p.M 

" Kansas City for El Paso, etc., as in (A). 



arr. St. Louis 
" Kansas City 



8.20 sd A.M. 
9.00 A.M. 



(C) 



BOSTON AND NEW YORK, TO CITY OF MEXICO. 



ROUTES : 

Leave Boston about 6.00 p.m arr. New York 

New York (Pennsylvania Railroad) 8.00 a.m 

St. Louis 9.00 p.M 

New York 9.00 a.m. (New York and Chicago, Limited) 
New York 8.00 p.m. (Hotel Car, Pennsylvania Railroad) 
Chicago 12.30 (Burlington Route) 



Kansas City 10.00 a.m. 
£1 Paso 6.30 P.M. 



St. Louis 

Kansas City 

Chicago 

Chicago 

Kansas City 

El Paso 



7.00 A.M. 

7.30 2d P.M. 
9.00 A..M. 
10.30 A.M. 
7.50 2d A.M. 
9.00 A.M. 
4.30 3d P.M. 



City of Mexico 7.30 3d a.m. 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



NEW YORK AND ST. LOUIS, TO CITY OF MEXICO. 

In sclcctinp; an Eastern road over which to travel westward, and eventually to 
connect with the va=t sv<tcm now opened into Mexico, one cannot do better than 

to take one, which from its length, its per- 
fect road-bed, its double track, its steel 
rails, its fine rolling-stock, and its cotti- 
pleteness of organization, should 
be a most desirable highway for 
\ the oncominc; Mexican travel. 




\ 




THE 



Stx.'- \<({„ili 



^'■"I'llEV,^^ 



PENNSYLVANIA 
RAILROAD 
ul its actual beginning in the 
ar {1846) that first heard the 
muttered thunders of the Mexican 
war; and from its humble ince|> 
tion, as a tributary to the canal 
^^tem of Pennsylvania, it has grown 
to a magnitude almost bevond belief. 
The tracks of its main and leased lines 
— would, it is said, if extended, reach from Phila- 
delphia across the Atlantic, and through Europe 
to China. The steel and iron used in its rails and rolling- 
stock would make, if wrought into a single mass, a shaft 
eight inches in circumference, and 25,000 miles in length. 
Over its 7,000 miles of owned and leased lines roll 1,100 
engines, and 1,100 passenger-cars, while 25,000 well-drilled employees work in the 
interests of this great corporation, the earnings of which are said to amount to 
$1,000 an hour. 

leaving New York at eight .A.M., the special St. Louis tr.ain speeds through a 
country famous in continental history, — Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, — and takes 
one over the richest agricultural region of Pennsylvania. Peyond Harrisburg, 
crossing the Susquehanna, it enters the spu'-s of the Alleghanies; later, winds 
through the valley of the iJlue Juniata, passing such picturesque spots as I^w- 
iston, Tyrone, Sinking Springs, and Altoona; and at Kittanning Point, 243 miles 
from New York, the great road winds around that wonder of engineering skill, the 
Horseshoe Curve At Allegrippus "the majesty of the mountains seems to 
culminate," and beyond, .the great tunnel is entered, over 2,000 feet above the sea, 
by which the crest of the Alleghanies is pierced, and, emerging from it, the descent 
is commenced toward the plains of the Great West. At the western base of the 
Alleghanies arc numberless attractive resorts, as Concmaugh, Johnston, and the 
Pack-saddle Narrows, where the road threads the mountain-gorges amidst peerless 
scenery; and at Pittsburgh, the city of coal and iron, the Pennsylvania trunk-line 
terminates. IJut its influence is felt a thousand miles beyond, and the wise policy 
of its founders in early leasing and assisting new lines into the then unknown 
West is seen in the light of to-day, which shows that its projectors builded even 



WESTWARD, ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS. 




better than they knew, and laid the foundation for a vast, and almost endless 

system, which penetrates the entire region 

of the great South-west, and whose eastern 

portal now stands open as the gate\\ a^ i 

Mexico. Crossing Ohio, Indiana, 

and Illinois, the train finally 

reaches St. I.ouis at 7.30 of the 

evening of the second day from 

New York. In the great Union 

Depot, transfer is made by merely 

stepping from track to track, and 

taking a car of the Chicago and 

Alton, or the Missouri Pacific, at 

nine P.M. ; and, after a comfortable 

night in the " sleeper," one arrives 

in Kansas City at nine in the 

morning. Another change is made 

here in the fine Union Depot, and 

an hour later, at ten, one is settled drawing-room car, 

for a ride of fifty-four hours and penn. r.r. 

1,157 miles, which can be made 

without leaving the car, until the Rio Grande, the Mexican boundary, is reached. 

From Chicago (where change is made in Union Depot for cars of the Burling- 
ton Route) the time is about twenty hours to Kansas City, where connection is 
completed with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. 

Just thirty years ago, the Rev. E. E. Hale wrote, in a little book on Kansas, 
" There is not at this moment (Aug. i, 1854) a town or village of tvhites in Kansas 
or Nebraska." Were this not history, it would seem most incredible, in view 
of the present condition of this great and flourishing State, with its thousands of 
churches and schoolhouses, its cities and progressive population. 

The belief of this talented writer, that " the Territory of Kansas, from its posi- 
tion, is the great geographical centre of the internal commerce of the United 
States," was shared in, at a later period, by other intelligent citizens of Boston; 
and it is to the foresight of these men that the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, 
and the Mexican Central railroads, form one great system, extending from the 
Missouri River to the Aztec capital, a distance of over 2,300 miles. It was some 
seventeen 3'ears ago that a few enterprising men interested themselves in the 
railroads of Kansas, then in their infancy, but it was considered a great risk even 
to build the road which was to connect the Missouri River with Topeka. But 
these few capitalists evolved from chaos a liberal and successful corporation: "the 
infant soon became a giant," and has been the most important factor in the settle- 
ment and development of that vast country lying between the two great rivers, 
the Missouri and the Rio Grande. It has lent a helping hand to the farmers of the 
prairies of Kansas, the stock-men on the plains of Colorado, and the miners in 
the mountains of New Mexico. To every business, to every industry, this benefi- 
cent corporation extended aid, and while its engines chased the Indian and the 
buffalo from the fertile prairies, and spanned the arid wastes of desert, the settlers 
who followed in the wake of its engineers were encouraged to build homes, to 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



erect schools and chiirclies; and tluis it is tliat along this road we see thrift and 
cnteri)rise, ami a Ncw-Kngland sjiirit of culture in its jjopulation. No road in this 



country has proved 
carefully provide 




SLERPING-CAR, PENN. R.R. 



liciic- ...^ ficial to its supporters, and has so 

comfort of its patrons. From its 
source to its ending, it has built 
elegant stations, and at convenient 
inter^-als provided commodious 
and comfortable hotels and din- 
ing-halls, at each of which a full 
half-hour is allowed for the dis- 
cussing of a long and varied mhni. 
This great road, with nearly 
2,000 miles of track, its hundreds 
of cars and engines, and thorough- 
ness of equipment for the safety 
and comfort of passengers, is most 
wisely controlled by young and 
enterprising men, whose extraor- 
dinary penetration and grasp of affairs 
keep this gigantic corporation a/tead of the 
rc(|uirements of the age. Although an in- 
dc])endent and totally distinct corporation, 
yet its animating spirit is in harmony with 
that which pervades the great Pennsylvania Road ; for likewise it has constantly 
encouraged the building of tributary lines, until its iron fingers extend over half a 
dozen great .States and Territories, and progress and civilization follow as surely in 
its wake, as fertility the rill from the river in a desert region. 

15ut for the settled purpose of the writer of these pages, not to diverge until the 
goal is reached (the City of Mexico), Kansas, with its numerous streams, its illim- 
itable prairie ranches, its prosperous towns, growing so ra[)idly that their aspect 
constantly changes, would stop us to wonder a hundred times. 

A road of the same standard gauge as those in the East, solid and smooth, 
conducts us across the entire length of Kansas. From the time we leave the 
union depot at Kansas City, until farewell is said to the United States at El Paso, 
there is a constantly shifting series of views, — "prairie, plain, plateau, peak, and 
pueblo." At Lawrence, as the train speeds by, one can see the noble buildings 
of the University of Kansas looking down upon the "most Iwiautiful city of the 
West," — an historic city, for here was the first free-state settlement, and here 
began the great antislavery struggle. "It is peaceful enough now; but it numbers 
among its citizens men who stood shoulder to shoulder with John Brown, or 
looked into the barrels of Quantrell's rifles." Not far off is Topeka, a bright and 
enterprising city of 25,000, beyond which the road dips southward, and reaches 
the valley of the Arkansas, keeping the great river company nearly the entire 
breadth of the State, through scenery which in springtime may be called the 
fairest in the West. At Coolidgc the road leaves Kansas, and at La Junta takes 
a departure from the Arkansas, and strikes southward, across a corner of Colorado, 
and enters New Mexico. Passengers from Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, 
Lcadvillc, and even from Salt Lake City and far-off San Francisco, can join the 



CHICAGO TO MEXICO. 




THROUGH KANSAS AND NEW MEXICO. 



5 



train at La Junta, and continue on into old Mexico, for here the wonderful Denver 
and Rio Grande Railroad comes down from its mountain fastnesses, and unites 
the "Central Pacific" system with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe. 




ON THE SANTA FE TRAIL. 



X^,^ 






IN NEW MEXICO 

we find ourselves entering territory once pertaining to the Mexican Republic, a 
portion of that New Spain obtained for the Spanish crown through the prowess 
of Cortes, and described by Humboldt. Here we shall more particularly observe 
the country — for it is radically different from Kansas and Colorado — and the 
people and architecture, which are alike strange and interesting. Almost rectan- 
gular in shape, the territory of New Mexico has an area of 121,200 square miles, 
and contains a population of 130,000 whites, about 8,000 Pueblo, and nearly as 
many more nomadic Indians. 

From the time of our entrance into the territory, we shall observe a varied and 
wonderful landscape, — high and rugged mountains, as at Raton Pass, most pic- 
turesque mesas or table-lands, deep cafions, and wide-stretching plains. The 
mountains are covered with timber, the plains destitute of trees, while in the 
valleys, by means of irrigation, are raised bountiful crops of the fruits and vege- 
tables of the temperate zone. From the mountains, which are spurs of the Rockies, 
and are reputed rich in ores of silver, copper, iron, and gold, come down the 
streams produced by the melting snows, but for which the plains of the northern 
portion of New Mexico would be but arid wastes. Chief of these is the Rio Grande, 
a turbid river, which has been called the Nile of America, as its waters have 
fertilized so many lands, and which, nearly 1,500 miles in length, after crossing the 
territory, forms the entire boundary line between Te.\as and Mexico. Although 



6 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

much has been claimed for New Mexico in the way of natural wealth, wc cannot 
attirm that it possesses any greater attraction than its climate, which is indeed a 
glorious one, filling the year with bright, sparkling days, and making it an elysiuin 
for people altiicted with bilious disorders or pulmonary complaints. At no place 
in New Mexico — or, in fact, in the great South-west — is there such a sanitarium 
of nature's own creating, aided by man's efforts, as at the Hot Springs of Las 
Vegas, reached at a point 125 miles south of the Colorado line, and 777 miles west 
of Atchison, among the foothills of the Spanish mountains. More than a score 
of thermal springs lie hidden in a little valley, protected on every side from the 
penetrating winds that sometimes sweep the bleak plains. They contain sulphate 




LAS VEGAS HOT Sl'RINCS. 



and chloride of sodium, with traces of iodine, bromine, and lithium, while the bog 
through which their waters have for centuries i)ercolatcd yields that curious silt 
used in the " mud baths " so efficacious in the treatment of cutaneous diseases. 

In this mountain valley a great hotel was erected, a few years ago, at an expense 
of nearly a quarter of a million dollars, containing 250 rooms, heated by steam, 
and lighted with gas, with numerous appointments for the comfort of guests, and 
such sanitary provisions, that it was declared to be "a most delightful resting-place 
on the southern route across the continent." Baths in every variety — medicated, 
electrical, Turkish, vapor, with sprays and douches — are administered by experienced 
medical attendants, while all the establishments in this miniature Saratoga are 
supplied with water from the mountain-springs above, pure as the air which fills 
the lungs, and brings tonic to the systems of patients who seek here the fountain of 
rejuvenescence. The first hotel built here by the railroad company was destroyed 



SP/i/NGS OF LAS VEGAS. 



by fire, in January, 1SS4, but it was soon rebuilt in a manner absolutely fireproof; 
and the second " Montezuma " awaits the coming of the health-seeker from every 
part of the United States. Above the springs and the hotels and cottages, a 
picturesque ravine leads far into the hills, toward cold mountain ponds, said to 
abound in trout, where the hillsides are covered with forests of pines, presumably 
the abode of game, and certainly delightful spots for the camper-out. The Arkan- 
sas valley, through which we passed in coming here, teems with certain game in 
the season ; and all along the line, by branching off into the mountains, one may 
hunt for the red and black tail deer, mountain grouse and sheep, cinnamon and 
black bear, the plumed quail and wild turkey, and perchance come upon an elk; 

era "mountain lion." ^ 

Every thing here is ton- ^.''"'*'"^ ""^--.^ 

ic and bracing ; there 
are no enervating influ- 
ences, such as counter- 
act the benefits derived 
from the hot -springs 
and health-resorts of 
other States. A well- 
known physician, wilt- 
ing to a paper 
in Cincinnati, 
gives his opin- 
ion of these 
springs, as fol- 
lows : — 

"The climate 
of Las Vegas is 
the general cli- 
mate of the east- 
ern slope of the 
Rockv Moun- 
tains, modified " '^"' 

favorably by its sheltered position. At 6,767 feet above the sea-level they are more 
than a thousand feet higher than Denver, and three hundred feet lower than Santa 
Fe. They are nearly on a level with Manitou, and are seven hundred feet higher 
than Trinidad. The winters are mild. Snow rarely falls, and, when it comes, lies 
only three or four hours. Whole months go by in winter without rain or snow. 
Under a cloudless sky, with radiation unchecked by vapor, the nights are cool in 
summer, and positively cold in winter, yet the thermometer knows no zero, and, it is 
said, never touches 90° in summer. The annual rainfall is not more than twelve 
inches per annum, and a great portion of this is thrown down in July and August. 

" It is impossible by words to give an idea of that sort of purity which the eye 
recognizes in the air of the plains and the mountains near. It is so translucent that 
distances are always amiss ; the new-comer having no power to estimate by aerial 
perspective whether an object is five miles distant, or fifty. Its diathermancy is such, 
that one is never cold in direct sunlight. While it is certainly true that more light 
is received here per diem than in any portion of the United States, it is also true 




MEXICAN ADOBE HLT 



(^Permission Missouri Fatific Ry ) 



8 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

that there arc more sunny days. From Denver to Santa Fe, at the broad and vague 
line where mountain and plain meet, there are only three or four days in each year 
whereon the sun docs not shine. The clouds are few and the sun shows himself 
more than three hundred and si.xty days in each year." 

A short branch connects the main line with the .Springs, turning off at the thriv- 
ing town of I^s Vegas; and sixty miles beyond, at Lamy, another branch diverges 
to the town of Santa Fe, about midway between which points the road passes 
within sight of the Pueblo of Pecos, the most ancient of Indian villages, and the 
traditional birthplace of one of the Montczumas. 

Santa P"e is the oldest town within the present limits of the United States, con- 
taining the "oldest house in the country," "the oldest church," and a "palace," 
once the abode of Spanish viceroys. One of those sturdy pioneers who visited 
Santa Fe when under Mexican dominion, when only accessible by the dangerous 
" Santa Fe trail," declared that it resembled "a fleet of flatboats moored to a moun- 
tain;" and another has compared the adobe houses to "kilns of unburned bricks." 
With the exception of the stores around the plaza, and the houses of the wealthy, 
Santa Fe is mainly composed of mud huts, one-story adolvs, built after the Mexican 
fashion, each around its central square, or placita, with clay floors, and flat clay 
roofs. The windows, until recently, — if any existed, — were oftener of mica than 
glass. There was little furniture: a bench of clay running around one side of 
the room formed a seat and bed, while the fireplace was in one corner. In fact, the 
dwellings of the natives of New Mexico are merely improved Indian houses such 
as are found throughout the border region of Mexico. The food, the religion, and 
customs of the people, are Mexican, not even excepting the decided preference for 
the burro, or donkey, as a means of conveyance. 

One redeeming feature of Santa Fe is its large and handsome palace hotel, and 
another is its climate; while its ancient "cathedral " of San Miguel, a mud church 
built in 1590, and its other buildings savoring of antiquity, make up its list of 
attractions. The " lertio-millenial," or 333d anniversary of its first settlement, was 
most appropriately celebrated in 1SS3. Santa Fe's history is, however, surticicnt 
of itself to attract hither numerous pilgrims, for its site was visited by Eurojieans 
within twenty years after the discovery of Mexico ; and the soldiers of the adven- 
turous Coronado here found a people quite as civilized as the Aztecs. 

The native races, the Pueblos, — so called because they were found living in /«<•/*• 
los or villages, — were subjugated, but rebelled in 16S0, and drove the Spaniards 
from the country, though they were again reduced to submission. In the early part 
of this century it was the objective point of the long caravani that wended their 
way thither from the far-distant Missouri, making the Santa Fe trail an historic 
feature of the .South-west. 

In 1S4S New Mexico was annexed to the United States, Incoming part of that 
country, though it stdl retains all the characteristics of a Mexican territory. 

THE RAILROADS OF NEW MEXICO 

at the opening of the year 1SS4 exceeded a total aggregate length of i,icx3 miles, 
although not a single mile was in ojieration in 1880. Nearly See miles are controlled 
by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe, with 5S7 in its main line, and 200 in the 
Atlantic and Pacific. Nine hundred miles from the Missouri River is the flourishing 
town of Albuquerque, which, though its first buildings were erected in iSSo, now 



THE PUEBLOS. 9 

contains 10,000 inhabitants, has five hotels, an opera-house, gas and electric lights, 
and expended $400,000 in new structures in 1883 alone. Here the St. Louis and 
San Francisco line crosses our path, the western division of which, the Atlantic 
and Pacific, forms the extension of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe system to 
California. 

Could we diverge at this point from our direct journey into Mexico, we should 
penetrate a region yet more wonderful than that we have already passed over ; we 
should discover ourselves in the heart of that country selected by the ancient 
Pueblos as their home ; should pass such fascinating Indian towns as Isleta, Laguna, 
Acoma, with its village on a mesa 250 feet high, an impregnable fortress ; at the sta- 
tion of Fort Wingate could take conveyance for Zuni, which Mr. Cushing has made 
known to the world, or visit the great natural monument, the "Navajo Church," or 
Pyramid Rock, another titanic structure. Still beyond, a day's ride on horseback 
north, is the agency of Navajo Indians, skilled in agriculture and weaving. Twenty 
miles from the station of Ilolbrook is a petrified forest covering i,Soo acres, seventy 
miles north-west of which is Cataract Canon; where a stream falls over a precipice 
ijSoo feet high ; north of Winslow station are the curious Moquis Indians, and re- 
markable cliff-dwellings ; at Caiion Diablo, on this line, is a bridge 540 feet long, 
spanning a chasm 225 feet deep ; around Flagstaff are magnificent forests, with 
natural parks, where hunting and fishing may be found; and at Peach Springs one 
may leave the train, and penetrate to the heart of the Grand Canon of the Colora- 
do, twenty miles distant, through a gradually descending gorge called Diamond 
Wash, and behold the sullen waters of the imprisoned Colorado flowing between its 
mile-high walls of rock. 

THE PUEBLOS. 

We can take but a passing glimpse of those wonderful adobe structures of 
the semi-civilized Indians of New Mexico and Arizona, which prepare us for the 
more remarkable ancient buildings to be found in Old Mexico. Pecos lies near 
the line, between Las Vegas and Santa Fe, from which latter point may be reached 
Taos, and several others, less interesting; while near Wallace (where there is a 
good hotel) is a fine and typical pueblo, San Domingo ; also at San Felipe, Isleta, 
and at various other points. To the average tourist, these remains of Indian 
civilization will doubtless prove more interesting than the modern towns, which 
are so rapidly growing into importance all along the great railroad. 

At Rincon, i,oSo miles from the Missouri, the passenger for Sonora and the 
Gulf of California diverges from the main line, and at Deming, 1,149 miles, a place 
of remarkable growth, makes connection with the Southern Pacific Road to Benson 
(a busy mining-centre, 1,323 miles), whence the Mexico and Arizona and Sonora 
Railroads complete the distance to Guaymas, 1,676 miles. Objects of interest 
along this route are the mining-towns, as Tombstone and Contention ; the plains of 
Sonora; the Mexican towns ; the scenery about Hermosillo (1,586 miles), its Hill 
of the Bell, and lovely orange-gardens ; and the magnificent harbor of Guaymas, 
whence steamers depart for the lower Mexican coast, and infrequent sailing-vessels 
for Lower California. 

Running directly southward from Rincon, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe 
passes through scenery unrelieved by any notable objects, until El Paso is entered 
(1,157 miles), and the Rio Grande is reached, which separates the territories of the 



lO 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



two rcpuhlics. Here is a thriving and progressive town, born of railway activitv, 
with good hotels, large stores, and excellent buildings. Four lines — the Texas- 
Pacific from the Kast ; the Galveston, Ilarrisburg, and San Antonio from the 
South-cast ; the Southern Pacific from the West ; and the Atchison, Topeka, and 
Santa Fe from the North — concentre here; all having fine stations, and valuable 
property. The scenery about is not interesting, though peculiar and pleasing ; 
brown and detached ridges rising above plains dotted along the Rio Grande with 
trees and vineyards. The great river, here of varying breadth, according to the 

season, is spanned by 
substantial bridges, 
which connect with a 
Mexican town of an- 
cient date, — Paso del 
Norte, founded two 
hundred years ago, 
and containing 5,000 
inhabitants. The build- 
ings of the Mexican 
Central arc the finest 
in this place; but the 
old church, the adobe 
houses, the aceguias 
(or irrigating canals), 
and the vineyards will 
attract attention. 
Change is made at El 
Paso ; and the cars con- 
tinue on into Mexico, 
over a road virtually an 
extension of the same 
THE RIO GRANDE, NEAR EL PASO. systcm as the one just 

{On the TexttsPaci/ic Ry.) described. 

Southward from El Paso, 225 miles, lies the city of Chihuahua (Chee-wdh-wah), 
reached over a route through desolate sand-hills at first, and latterly a vast grazing 
ground. It is the capital of the State, and its only city of note, with about iS.ooo 
inhabitants. Its houses are of a single story, as a rule, with thick walls, grated 
windows, and open courts, with rooms from twelve to eighteen feet in height. 
The city enjoys a delightful climate, rarely above 70" in the shade, the thick house- 
walls admirably protecting from extremes of heat and cold. Epidemics and fevers 
are unknown ; the pure air is conducive to health and longevity. To the recently 
arrived Americans are due the many new industries of Chihuahua, which draws 
its supplies from the distant cities of the United States. A horse-railway connects 
the station with the town, a mile distant. Objects of interest : the great and 
handsome church, an old convent, the monument to Hidalgo, chapel of Guadalupe, 
the aqueduct (three and one-half milo« long), the upper and Xowcr fa scos, the cen- 
tral plaza with its fine fountain, the market, public swimming-bath, reduction-works 
(near the city), the Santa Rosalia mines (six miles distant) which have yielded 
f.»l)ulously in the past, and the beautiful han'enifa of Don Enrique Midler (two 
miles away). Hotels: United States, and American, three dollars per day. 




THE RIO GRANDE; CHIHUAHUA. i r 

Taking a direction soutliward, a little, westerly, the railroad runs to a point on 
the Durango border-line, not far distant from a cluster of famous mining-villages. 
Halfway to the line, it passes near Santa Rosalia, where are some celebrated 
hot-springs. About a day's ride by diligence, west of the railroad at Huajuquilla, 
is Parral, a thrifty mining-town, with a flower-adorned plaza and a fair hotel. 

The general character of the great plateau through Chihuahua, Durango, and 
Zacatecas, is sterile, and to the eye forbidding ; and the lack of fuel and water will 
keep it so, though rich mines here and there have created prosperous towns. 
The plateau along which the railroad takes its course has not its like, probably, 
in the world, as it runs, without an important obstruction, from Santa Fe in New 
Mexico to the Aztec capital. The following altitudes illustrate this: — 

Santa Fe, 7,047 feet above the sea; Paso del Norte, on Rio Grande, 3,815; 
Chihuahua, 4,273; Durango, 6,848; Fresnillo, 6,244; Zacatecas, 8,038; Aguas 
Calientes, 6,262; Lagos, 6,376; Leon, 6,000; Silao, 5,911; Guanajuato, 6,836;, 
Salamanca, 5,761; Celaya, 6,017; Queretaro, 6,362; San Juan del Rio, 6,490; Tula, 
6,733 ; Mexico, 7,469. 

Oft' the line of road, in an obscure corner of Durango, is the small though rich 
town of Mapimi, famous for its mines of gold, silver, and lead. The capital of the 
State, Durango, lies to the westward of the road, with which it is connected by 
stages. It was founded by the Viceroy Velasco, in 1559, previous to which time 
it was a frontier post erected against the Northern Indians. It contains about 
28,000 inhabitants, has regular streets, shaded walks, and plazas, watered by a large 
spring ; some beautiful bridges span a fine stream] its cathedral is celebrated for its 
richness of ornament; its "palace " is large; its markets are excellent; its schools 
(eighty-nine m the State) are w^ll cared for; its institute [Instituto Juarez) has 250 
students; another (for girls), 150; and it has a Montepio, or government pawn- 
shop, like the City of Mexico. The climate of Durango is cool and healthy, the 
soil fertile in watered vallej'S, but generally sterile. A wild country stretches 
southward to Sombrerete, a great mining-town with 20,000 people, where in 
olden times bonanzas, the richest in America, have been extracted from its famous 
veta negra, or black vein, of silver. It lies on the old wagon-trail ; but the railroad 
leaves it to the east, and at Fresnillo strikes another great mining-centre, with 
28,000 population. The hills about this town are full of mines which have been 
rich, whatever their condition now. A share which the government once held in 
one yielded an annual revenue of $500,000; but Santa Anna when in power, eager 
to possess all the golden eggs at once, sold its interest for less than one year's 
income. Around Fresnillo, and north and east, to Catorce and San Luis Potosi, 
stretches a "waste and sterile moorland,. almost treeless, with little natural vege- 
tation save the mesquite, with only an occasional hacienda to be met with, and 
the people collected in the crowded mining-towns." Such is the approach to 
Zacatecas, capital of the State, with a population of 64,000. This populous city 
is in the midst of the richest mines of Mexico. 

Zacatecas is a mountain country of the high plateau, cut up by spurs of the 
Cordillera, and mostly arid and inhospitable. The region between San Luis Potosi 
and Sombrerete, and Mazapil and Zacatecas, is a broad plain, interspersed with 
a few swelling knolls, and an occasional group of hills or mountains. The country 
is unusually dry; and water-tanks, wells, and reservoirs are important features of an 
estate, and noteworthy objects to the traveller in this arid region. Zacatecas, the 



12 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



capital, is situated at the foot of an abrujjt and picturesque porphyritic mountain, 
upon the rugged summit of which is perched a neat church and a small fortress. 
Its streets arc short and crooked ; its public buildings especially the mint, city-hall, 
and cathedral, arc magnificent cdificeij. Hotels : Diligcncias, Comercio, Zacatecano. 
The hillsides arc full of mines, and also the town Itself; one having been opened 
in the Alameda. It is safe to say that Zacatecas will not attract the tourist any 
more than the uninviting cities Durango and Chihuahua, to the north of it ; but 
to those who would study the processes by which the wealth of the Sierra Madre 




FOUNTAIN AT ClMHfAHUA. 

(Engrared/or Missouri-Pacific Ry.) 



is torn from the bosom of the vast mountain-chain, this and the other cities 
mentioned will ever be interesting. 

About thirty miles to the south-west of the capital arc the remarkable ruins 
of Qucmada, on the Cerro de los EJificios, about five miles north of the town of 
Villanueva. These constitute one of the largest groups north of the Mexican 
Valley, and arc supposed to indicate an Aztec resting-place during the long migra- 
tion of that people southward. 

From Zacatecas, it is io6 kilometres to Aguascalicntcs, capital of the State of 
that name, which formerly constituted a jjart of Zacatecas, more celebrated for 
its agriculture than for its mines. It is famous for the number of hot-springs which 
surround the town. These thermal waters, in fact, give the state and town its 



GREAT CITIES OF THE TLA TEA U. 1 3 

name, — Agiiascalientes (hot water or springs). The city contains 35,000 inhahit- 
ants, and is well supplied with factories, schools, and colleges. A thriving city 
west of the railroad is San Juan de los Lagos, situated in a deep ravine, little 
above the surface of the river. It is mainly composed of mud huts; though its 
large and beautiful church, dedicated to " Our Lady of the Lake," is famous 
throughout the country. An annual fair is held here, lasting eight days, to which 
the people of the entire region resort, in December of each year. 

Jalisco is a large and populous State, lying upon the western slope of the 
Cordillera; and here the traveller will find the temperature sensibly increased, as 
contrasted with that of the cities and towns along the line, both north and south of 
it. It belongs, in fact, to the tierra calicnte, — the hot country, — and is capable 
of producing all tropical productions, whicli might also be raised in the deep and 
hot ravines of the narrow section traversed by the railway. The portion of the 
plateau on the western declivity of the cordillera enjoys a more fertile soil and 
more temperate climate than that above, as evidenced by the populous towns 
of Lagos and Leon, which do not depend upon the mines, but upon the soil. 

About thirty-six miles farther is the city of Lagos, containing 20,000 inhabitants, 
— a prosperous place. There is a church here, — larger than the one at San Juan, 
but with less costly decorations, — commenced in 1784. 

Leon, thirty-six miles farther, lies about ten miles within the border of the State 
of Guanajuato, at an elevation above the sea of 6,000 feet, in a fine, highly 
cultivated valley dotted with fields of corn and wheat. It is well built, and has 
several large religious edifices, though with none so noteworthy as in the towns 
just passed. The plaza is a large and beautiful one, paved with cobble-stones in 
mosaic, and with an elegant fountain. The city-hall and public buildings are large 
and handsome. The climate here is temperate, ranging from 60° to 80° the year 
round. Oranges are cultivated here, though other tropical fruits do not flourish ; 
and the flower-gardens of Leon are celebrated. Leon is 258 miles from the city 
of Mexico ; and the event of its being placed in rail connection with the capital 
was celebrated with great rejoicings. It is celebrated for its factories, and is the 
market-town for an extensive agricultural district. 

The next large town is Silao, "between which and Leon," says a traveller, 
before the advent of the railroad, " the eye looks in vain for signs of cultivation." 

A branch line of fourteen miles connects Silao with the famous city of Guana- 
juato, capital of the State of the same name. This citj', containing about 65,000 
inhabitants, lies at an elevation above the sea of some Soo feet higher than the 
general altitude of the line of road ; Leon being at 6,000, and Celaya, to the east, 
6,020. It is built in so rugged a region, and is so securely hedged in by hills and 
mountains, that it was found impossible to run the main line to the capital city; 
hence the branch from Silao of twelve miles to the suburban town of Marfil, 
whence a tramway leads to the outskirts of the city itself. The inauguration 
of the opening of the Central Railroad to this point was celebrated on the 22d of 
November, 1SS2, with unusual splendor. A sjiecial excursion-train was run from 
Mexico, containing about 150 people, comprising many of the most distinguished 
men of the Republic. The streets were illuminated, the buildings decorated, and 
fiestas and fireworks gave expression to the joy of the people in having been 
at last brought into connection with the capital city. This town, says a well- 
informed writer, is, perhaps, the most '■uriously picturesque and remarkable in 



M 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



the Republic. " Entering a rocky canada, the bottom of which barely affords room 
for a road, you pass between high •;</<-/'<• walls, above which, up the steep, rises tier 
above tier of blank, windowle-ss, sun-dried houses, looking as if they had grown 
out of the earth. Every corner of the windings of this road is filled with buildings 
of mining companies; huge fortresses of stone, ramparted, as if for defence. The 
scene varies with every moment. Now you look up to a church with purple dome 

and painted towers ; now the 
1)lack iuM>e walls, with here 
and there a spicy cypress or 
graceful palm between them, 
rise far above you, along the 
steep ledges of the mountain; 
and again the mountain itself, 
with Us waste of rock and cac- 
tus, is all you see. The Canada 
finally seems to close : a preci- 
pice of rock, out of a rift in 
which the stream flows, shuts 
the passage. Ascending this, 
by a twist in the road you are 
in the heart of the city." 

"Guanajuato impressed us," 
says another, " with an idea of 
jjcrmanence and comparative 
prosperity rather unusual in 
this part of the countrj-, in spite 
of its greatly reduced popula- 
tion, its languishing industries, 
and its suburban mining-towns deserted, and tumbling into ruins. It has many beauti- 
ful private residences, which cannot be excelled in comfort, extent, and elegance, in 
any part of the United States, and many still wealthy and aristocratic families of 
pure, or nearly pure, Castilian descent." 

The reservoirs, substantial and beautiful structures thrown across a stream which 
flows above the city, furnish it with water ; and terraced promenades around them 
are favorite resorts of the people. 

"Above the city, not far from the reservoirs, is a peculiar high mountain 
crowned with a curious perpendicular rock, which, from its fancied resemblance 
to the outlines of a giant buffalo, has been christened ' El Duffa.' From this 
mountain is procured in unlimited quantities a species of beautifully variegated 
sandstone, of all the colors of the rainbow, blue, pale green, and chocolate 
predominating. The sandstone cuts readily, has a fine grain ; and of this material 
residences have been constructed of the most beautiful style, lining Jhe canon all 
the way up to the reservoirs. Graceful pillars in long colonnades, arched portals 
and corridors, and patios decorated with all the flowers of this prolific climate, are 
seen by the delighted traveller on ever)' side." 

The mint here is said to be the best in Mexico, and one of the few run by 
steam; while the reduction-works, though mainly run on the old Mexican plan, 
arc the must famous in the country. In the mountains north-east of the city is 




I.NTERIOR OF MEXICAN HUT. 



GUANAJUATO AND THE BAXIO. 15 

the wonderful mine of Valcnciana, which has produced $Soo,ooo,ooo, and has 
been worked ever since the Conquest. No traveller can afford to miss Guana- 
juato since it has been rendered accessible by steam, if he would care to become 
informed upon the mining resources of the Republic. Guanajuato sustained a 
terrible part in the tragedy of the revolution; and the Castle of Grenaditas still 
stands to point out where many brave men perished. When in iSio the patriot 
priest Hidalgo led his rabble of Indians to this city, the Spaniards intrenched 
themselves in this Castle of Grenaditas, where they bravely sustained a long siege. 
Finding it to be impossible to carry the fortress by storm, a brave Indian, it is said, 
took a great flat stone upon his back, and, unharmed by the bullets rained upon it 
from above, reached the castle-gates, and set them on fire. The garrison was put 
to the sword. The year following, Hidalgo was defeated by the Spanish com- 
mander, and, fleeing to Chihuahua, was captured and shot; and his head and the 
heads of his companions, brought here and hung up on four hooks, are still shown 
at the four comers of the castle. The victorious Calleja also took vengeance 
upon thoi inoffensive inhabitants of Guanajuato for harboring the insurgents, and 
slaughtered them without mercy, till the fountains of the city were choked with 
blood. 

The region through which the road passes after leaving Silao is known as the 
Baxio, "so celebrated in Mexico, both as the seat of the great agricultural riches of 
the country and the scene of the m©st cruel ravages of the civil war." 

There are 'great plains here, in places dry and verdureless, but generally fertile 
and well cultivated. The ranchos are of large size ; the haciendas being perfect 
fortresses, loop-holed and battlemented. 

Irapuato, in the centre of this district, is an old market-town, with no notable 
buildings save its churches; then comes Salamanca, at 333 kilometres, and finally, 
Celaya, at 292 from Mexico. Great fields of corn, and some olive-orchards, 
indicate the fertility of the valleys now passed through. Celaya contains 30,000 
inhabitants, and is a city of importance, with large factories and intelligent laborers. 
It is supplied with water at blood-heat, by an artesian well 400 feet deep; and in 
"this place, and other manufacturing towns near, there is an abundant supply. 

In the district of Guanajuato, said Mr. Evans, who travelled with the Seward 
party across Mexico in 1S69-70, "within a circuit of fifteen miles there is estimated 
to be, at this time, $40,000,000 worth of silver ore which will yield $25 to the ton; 
but, owing to the expense of reducing it there, it will not pay for working at all, and 
is now lying valueless on the surface of the ground. A railroad of about a hundred 
miles, through a wonderfully rich valley, offering no engineering obstacles of any 
amount, would connect the two cities, and enable the builder to bag $20,000,000 
in profits on this ore already out, to say nothing of the future." 

Since this, the then unexpected event of a railroad has been realized, though not, 
probably, his sanguine prediction regarding the working of the silver waste. Two 
great railways pass through Celaya, as the Mexican National here crosses the Cen- 
tral on its route from San Luis Potosi to Acambaro and Mexico. Celaya has twelve 
churches ; while its principal factory cost, including machinery, $400,000. 

QuERETARO is the first place in the State bearing the same name, and is 246 
kilometres from Mexico. It contains 48,000 inhabitants. Queretaro has the repu- 
tation of being the loveliest to the eye of any city outside the valley of Mexico. The 
first object claiming attention, should you approach it from the south, would be its 



l6 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

magnificent aqueduct, much finer and grander than the two which* supply the city of 
Mexico. Its arches curve above columns 50 or 60 feet high, — so high that the whole 
structure has a light and graceful appearance. It was built by the .Marquis de 
Valero del Aguila, at his own cost, during the reign of the viceroys. It is two miles 
in length, and 90 feet in height, and connects with a tunnel in the neighboring hills, 
bringing pure water to the city from a point five miles away. As Queretaro lies at 
an altitude of 7,000 feet above the sea, it enjoys a delightful and temperate climate, 
and is surrounded by the vegetation and fruits of the temperate zone. It is built 
upon, and is surrounded by, hills; and the views, both of and from the city, are ex- 
ceptionally fine. Of the approach to the city, Bishop Haven writes: "The city ever 
allures us on. Its towers and domes glisten in the dying light, half hidden among 
abundant foliage. The hollow of the hills looks small from this height, and the 
city seems embossed on the bottom of a bowl of radiant green. A farther descent 
brings the aqueduct to view, — the stateliest Roman that is e.xtant in America; and 
there is no grander in Italy, nor one so grand. The valley lies about you full of 
verdure: never did any valley look lovelier. Hundreds of acres of \*heat and 
barley and lucern, greenest of the green, seem in a race for superiority in color ; while 
the trees are not behind in beauty. Flowers of richest hue bloom in the gardens ; 
and the city stands forth, with its glittering towers and domes, a spectacle long to 
be remembered. It would be hard to find the equal in beauty of this combmation 
of high, bold cliffs, ranges of hills, velvet meadows, and stately churches." 

There are cotton-mills here that may vie with those of Lowell, in size, and number 
of spindles and operatives. One, the " Hercules," employs i.Soo hands and iS,ooo 
spindies. These cotton-factories, surrounded by large and beautiful gardens, where 
bloom rare flowers, and choice fruits ripen, are models of their class. They should 
be visited by every one desiring to witness the industry of the native Indian when 
regularly employed, and the effect of capital in the hands of enterprising Mexicans. 

The alameda, or public garden, here is very pleasant; and there are many old 
convents and churches worthy a visit. An ancient city, on the site of one built by 
the former Indian inhabitants, Queretaro also has an added interest as being the 
scene of two important historical events. Here the treaty of peace between Mexi- 
co and the United States was finally ratified by the the Mexican Congress in 1S48. 
Here, also, was sounded the death-knell of the empire of Maximilian, when that 
pseudo emperor lost his life. It is not necessary to recount the events of that 
month of .May, 1S67, when Maximilian, his forces surrounded by the invincible army 
of the North, sustained siege in this city of Queretaro. The Hill of Hells, El 
Cerro de las Ciim/>anas, south-west of the city, indicates the point at which Maxi- 
milian was captured, and where he was subsequently shot, in company with Miramon 
and Mejia. He had fortified the old convent of Las Cruces, an immense structure 
with massive walls; and here, later, he was confined, and from a cell in this build- 
ing led out to be shot. Las Cruces is now in ruins; and the town, especially in 
the outskirts, still shows, in roofless houses and in the marks of cannon-balls, the 
ravages of the war. The streets of Queretaro are narrow and winding; the houses 
of stone, low, massive, and bright in color; and here and there are little plazas 
adorned with flowers and tropical shrubbery. Though not rich in mines, the 
State of Queretaro contains celebrated deposits of opals, not far from the capital. 
A rich and broad valley extends beyond, filled with productive cornfields. Pass- 
ing through this, wc reach, at a distance from the city of Mexico of 191 kilometres, 



QUERETARO AND BEYOND. 17 

tlie old and flourishing town of San Juan del Rio, celebrated for the beauty of its 
fields and gardens; even Humboldt mentioning them so long ago as 1803. Nu- 
merous churches and useless convents are found here ; but there is little to claim 
attention. Beyond, are various small towns, sugh as Nopala ; and at Tula, but 
eighty kilometres, or fifty miles, distant from Mexico, we enter a town older, proba- 
bly, than any other on the line. 

There are fair hotels here, as also at the various cities and towns now pierced 
by the railroad, with prices at about the average in the United States, with a trifle 
rougher style of accommodations. The charm of Tula consists chiefly in its anti- 
quity. Not only has it an old cathedral — one of the very first built after the 
Conquest — and a massive bridge nearly as old; but it is half encircled by hills 
crowned with remains of very ancient structures. In the plaza are shown carved 
pillars; and tradition is very firm in the statement that Tula was the site of a 
Toltec city more than a thousand years ago. Lying on the northern verge of the 
valley of Mexico, on the banks of the River Tula, or Montezuma, the situation 
of the town is pretty, although the surrounding soil and vegetation are not rich. 
' In fact, we have left behind us the fertile soil and the exuberant vegetation of 
the central Baxio, and are now in a different land, though on the same plateau. 
Cactus, agave, and upland palm adorn vast plains, uncultivated and lava-strewn; 
and in the fifty intervening miles to Mexico little of cultivation is seen. 

We pass El Salto at sixty-two kilometres from the capital, and Huehuetoca at 
forty-seven, and enter that great cut through the mountain-ridge that hems in the 
valley of Mexico, the Tajo of Nochistongo, dug to drain the upper lakes. 

The aspect of the valley of Mexico, as entered from any point of compass, 
is beautiful in a general way; but a nearer view will not impress one so favorably. 
The soil is sterile, denuded of attractive vegetation, and the surface worn into 
gullies, ravines, and barrancas, by repeated rains. Huehuetoca is a dismal, dreary, 
uninteresting place ; and Cuautitlan, but twenty-seven kilometres from the capital, 
though populous, has nothing at all to attract a stranger. An exception may be 
made, however, in favor of its Sunday bull-fights, to which the roads run loaded 
trains, at great profit. In fact, no one would care to linger in the northern portion 
of the valley, between Tula and Mexico, except it were for the inspection of places 
made fascinating by historic events of world-wide renown. Zumpango is one of 
these points. It was the seat of a powerful Chichimec chief, before the coming 
of the Aztecs ; and the lake here is the one that has caused most disaster from 
inundation to the city of Mexico. It lies eastward from the railroad, its waters 
sparkling in the clear sunlight of this great elevation above the sea. 

If the region we have now entered be not so fruitful in returns to the agricul- 
turist, it is a glorious field for the seeker after the picturesque and for the student 
of history. Though stripped of the forests that once gave it shade and fertility, 
yet the bare hills have a beauty peculiarly their own ; and the almost numberless 
villages and haciendas, with white walls gleaming amongst fruit and flowering trees 
of garden and field, render the scene one long to be remembered. We have now 
come in sight of the great volcanoes, Popocatapetl and Iztaccihuatl, that keep 
watch and ward over the historic city of the Aztecs ; and s6on the intervening 
space is passed, and the long journey from El Paso, of 1,225 "^il^s, is ended. 



1 8 A CI/IDE TO MEXICO. 



THE CITY OF MEXICO. 

So much has been wrillen of tliis city, the objective point of all tourists to 
Mexico, that whatever could be ^iven now would be merely repetition ; ' and we 
will confine ourselves to an outline of its attractive points. 

From the railroad-station at IJucna Vista, horse-cars and coaches convey passen- 
gers to any part of the city, and are in waiting for all trains. For the convenience 
of visitors who will later wish to visit various portions of the city, the following 
list of hacks and prices is appended: — 

HACK STANDS AND RATES, 

No. I, Seminario; Xo. 2, Puentc de Palacio; Xo. 3. San Jose de Gracia; No. 4, 
Estampa de la Merced (vacant) ; No. 5, Scgunda de Vanegas; No. 6, Plaza de Santo 
Domingo; No. 7, Celaya-, X'o. 8, Mcsoncs (vacant); No. 9, Tercer Ordcn de S. 
Agustin (vacant); No. 10, Mariscala; No. u, Rosales; X'^o. 12, Avenida Juarez; 
No. 13, Corpus Christ! ; No. 14, Gante; X'^o. 15, Independencia; X'^o. 16, Coliseo; 
No. 17, Refugio; No. iS, Hotel Gilow; No. 19, Calle de Vergara; No. 20, Hotel 
de S. Agustin; X'o. 21, Vizcainas (vacant); X'^o. 22, Mercaderes; X'o. 23, San Jose 
el Real; No. 24, Empedradillo ; X'o. 35, Manrique; Xo. 26, Hotel Bella Union; 
No. 27, Hotel Gran Socicdad ; X'o. 28, Pucnte de la Lena; No. 29, Puente Quebra- 
do; Xo. 30, D. Juan Manuel ; X'o. 31, S. Juan de Lctran; X'o. 32. de S. Diego. 

Hacks showing green flags are paid $1.50 per hour; blue, $1.00; red, 75 cents; 
white, 50 cents. Kcfore si.\ o'clock in the morning, and after nine o'clock at night, 
the above rates are doubled. On feast days, hack-drivers are paid as follows : 
green flag, $2.00; blue, $1-50; red, $1.00. Any misconduct on the part of cab-drivers 
should be reported to Antonio Menescs, on the first fioor of the Municipal Palace. 

STREET-RAILROADS TO SUBURBAN TOWNS. 

San Angel, via Mi.xcoac. Cars leave Plaza dc Armas and San .\ngcl simultane- 
ously, at 6 A.M., and every So minutes afterwards, e.xccpt on Sunday, when they leave 
every 40 minutes. Fare : first-class, 25 cents ; second-class, I2j^ cents. 

.Mixco.ic San Angel cars. Fare: first-class, iS cents; second-class, 9 cents. 

Tacubaya, via Chapultepec. Cars leave Plaza de Armas at 5.20 A..M., and run 
every 20 minutes till S P.M. Fare: first-class, 12^ cents; second-class, 6_J,^ cents. 
Monthly commutation-tickets: first-class, S5.50; second-class, $3.50. 

Atzcapotzalco, via Tacuba. Cars leave Pl.iza de .\rmas and .Vtzcapotzalco simul- 
taneously, at 6 A..M., and every hour afterw.ard till S l'..M. Fare: first-class, 12^ 
cehts ; sccond-chass, 6!<Jf cents. 

Tacuba. At/.capotzalco cars. Fare: first-class, 10 cents; second-class, 6J4 cents. 

Tlaljiam. Cars leave Plaza de Armas and Tlalpam simultaneously, at 6, 7.30, 9, 
10.30 A..M., 12 M., and 2, 3, 3.30, 5, and 6.30 in the afternoon. Fare: first-class, 31 
cents; second-class, 18 cents. 

Guadalui)c. Cars leave Plaza de Armas at 5 A.M., and run every h.ilf-hour till 
1.30 I'.M., and from 2.45 P.M. to 7.45 r.M. Cars leave Guadalupe every half-hour, 

' See the auihor'i Travel* in Mexico, Chap*. XII.-XVI., etc. 



NEW YORK, HAVANA, VERA CRUZ. 



AlE)(AWDI(E ^TEi\IV|^Hip LlWE. 

STEAMERS AT PRESENT 

LEAVE NEW YORK EVERY THURSDAY 

l-c I R 

VERA CRUZ via HAVANA, 

AND 

LEAVE VERA CRUZ EVERY THURSDAY 

K<JR 

NEW YORK via HAVANA. 



Trip between New York and Vera Cruz about ten days, including stoppages at 
Havana, generally one or two days, at Progreso, Yucatan, about one day. 

Steamers also stop every two weeks at 

CAMPECHE and FRONTERA, 

Making the trip, with these several stoppages, more like a 

PLEASURE-EXCURSION. 



The railway trip from Ycra Cruz to the 

CITY OF MEXICO 

is considered 

BE"Y"03SriD COIivdllPJ^IE^ISOlNr, 

The road being built up the mountain, and rising to an elevation of S,ooo feet. 
The ever spring-like climate of the City of Mexico 

CANNOT BE SURPASSED. 

(Sec pajjc 31 of" OuiJc") 



IN THE CITY OF MEXICO. 1 9 

from 5.15 A.M. to T.45 r.M., and at the .same interval, from 2.30 to 0.30 p.m. Fare : 
first-class, 12|^ cents; second-class, 6% cents. 

La Viga. Cars leave Plaza de Armas every 15 minutes, from 6.45 a.m. to 8 p.m. 
Fare, (3% cents. 

The street-car company that has charge of the suburljan routes has cars for spe- 
cial occasions, the terms for which may be had by applying at the office in the Plaza 
de Armas, the square in front of the Cathedral. 

FOREIGN DIPLOMATIC CORPS. 

United States of America. Phillip Morgan, Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy 
E.\traordinary, No. 2 San Diego Street. Secretary of Legation, Harry II. Morgan. 

Belgium. George Neyt, Minister Resident, No. 12 First San Francisco Street. 
Secretary of Legation, Adolfo du Chastel de la Houardies. 

Chili. Domingo Gana, Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy E.xtraordinary, Calle 
Cadena. Secretary of Legation, Guillermo Edwards. 

France. Gustave de Coutouly, Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordi- 
nary, No. 2 Buena Vista. Secretary of the Embassy, Plunges Bonlard. Chancellor 
of Legation, Mr. Villard. 

Germany. Baron de Walcker Getter, Minister Resident. Secretary of Legation, 
Baron Ernest Wedell. 

Guatemala, San Salvador, and Honduras. Manuel Herrera, Minister Plenipoten- 
tiary and Envoy Extraordinary, No. 8 San Ildefonso Street. 

Italy. Ernesto Martuscelli, Minister Resident, No. 2 Buena Vista. 

Spain. Guillermo Crespo, Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary, 
No. 2 San Diego. Secretary of Legation, Andres Freuiler. 

FOREIGN CONSULS. 

United States of America, David H. Strother, No. 5 Perpetua Street; Belgium, 
Diedrich Grane, 14 San Agustin; Colombia, Josede Ansoategui, 3 EmpedradiUo ; 
Denmark, German F. Wichers, 17 San Agustin; German}, Pablo Kosidowski, 7 
Capuchinas; Guatemala, Rafael Gonzalez Hoz; Spain, Jose Perignat, Hotel Itur- 
bide ; Switzerland, Albert Kienast, 2 Monterilla Street. 

HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS. 

Bazar, Calle del Espi'ritu Santo, a central family hotel; French spoken; rooms 
from $r. 00 to $2.00 per day. French restaurant with private saloons and garden; 
75 cents per meal, and special terms per week or month. 

Bella Union, corner of Calle de la Palma. 

Restaurant and boarding-house on the American system, kept by Miss Hube, 
Calle del Espiritu Santo, numero 4; English, French, and Spanish spoken. 

Europa, Calle del Coliseo Viejo, a Mexican hotel. 

Gillow Hotel and Restaurant, Calle de San Jose el Real; a family hotel in a 
central situation; English, French, and Spanish spoken. 

Gran Sociedad, Calle del Espiritu Santo ; Mexican hotel and restaurant. 

Gual, Calle del Paente del Espiritu Santo; Mexican hotel. 



20 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

Nacional, Callc dc la Profcsa or 3 dc San Francisco. 

Refugio, Callc del Refugio; Mexican holel and restaurant (/ouiia). 

San Agustin, hotel and restaurant (foiuia), Mexican, Calle de San Agustin. 

San Carlos, Mexican holel and restaurant, Calle del Coliseo. 

Coliseo Vicjo, fonda y hotel del Turco. 

German Fonda, Callejon de Santa Clara. 

La Concordia, cafe and restaurant; A. Omarini, proprietor; pastry and ice- 
creams; corner of Second Calle de Plateros and San Jose el Real; French cook- 
ing; dejittners 1) la fonnlmtte, diners h la carte, and parties; saloon and private 
cabinets; English, French, Italian, and Spanish spoken. 

Ti'volis, dc IJucarcli, del Eli'seo, del Ferrocarril, dc San C6smc, kept bv Porras; 
Petit Versailles, from Si. 00 to Sio.oo dfjeuiicr a la fourchelle, or diner, and wines. 

Iturbidc, Second Callc de San Francisco, for single ladies and gentlemen ; 
English, P'rcnch, and .Spanish spoken; rooms from S3.00 per day; special terms 
for permanent boarders. 

French Restaurant, in the Iturbidc Hotel, and superintended by its owner, 
M. C. Recamier. A breakfast or dinner here costs in the main saloon, at private 
tables, from $1.00 upwards, and in the garden or private saloons, from $1.50. 

THEATRES. 

National, Tcatro A^tcional (first-class), Vcrgara Street; Teatro Principal, Coli- 
seo .Street; Arbeu Theatre; Alarcon, Arsenas Street; Merced Morales, Lerdo 
Avenue; Guerrero, Tenexpa .Street; Autores, Bafio del Jordan. Second-class: 
American, Hidalgo, Jordan, New Mexico, and Oriental. 

BANKS. 

Banco de Empleados, 5 San Agustin; Banco de Londrcs, Mexico and South 
America, 3 Capuchinas; Banco Mercanlil, 15 San Agustin; Montepio. 

PLAZAS AND PASEOS. 

There are nearly five hundred miles of streets, which intersect at right angles ; 
and throughout the city are numerous squares, plazas or placitas. The most im- 
])ortant is the Plaza Mayor, the great square near the centre of the city, on one 
side of which is the great cathedral; on another, the National Palace ; on another, 
the municipal buildings; and in the centre, the Zocalo, a beautiful garden, densely 
shaded, with a music-stand, statues, fountains, etc. From this point the street- 
railways take their departure, and the attractive flower-market is held here. It 
is a point at which, also, the historic interest is greater than at any other, as it 
covers the site of the ancient Aztec temples and armories. 

The Plazuela of .San Domingo is next in interest, having the fine old church 
of San Domingo, the buildings of the Inquisition, and the customhouse. 

The various n\arket-squares are exceedingly attractive, especially the great en- 
closed one near the Palace, where every article essential to Mexican economy is 
displayed for sale, including all the fruits of the country. 

The principal street, upon or near which arc the rich stores, is the Calle de San 
Francisco, leading from the Plaza Mayor to the beautiful Alameda, or botanical 



CITY OF MEXICO AND SUBURBS. 21 

garden, which is a favorite resting-place for all, strangers and citizens alike. The 
grandest avenue of Mexico, the Paseo Grande, runs straight away towards Chapul- 
tepec, an avenue ornamented with trees and statuary, and dividing the great tract 
of land purchased by the Mexico Hotel and Land Company, in the centre of 
which they purpose erecting a most magnificent hotel for American tourists and 
residents. Even at this late day, with direct rail communication with the North, 
Me.\ico has no hotel adequate to the demands already made by visiting Americans. 
The Paseo de Bucarelli diverges from nearly the same point as the great avenue, 
and has some objects worthy of attention. 

Of streets in general, that leading to Tacuba is bristling with historic objects; 
and the paseo of La Vega, running along the canal of the same name, is a favorite 
promenade, and a fine place in which to study the costumes and peculiarities of the 
Aztec boatman coming in to early market from the floating gardens. 

CHURCHES, MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES, ETC. 

Above the site of the ancient Aztec teocalli stands the great and world-famous 
cathedral, begun in 1573, and completed in 1657. Grand and imposing as is its 
exterior, its interior is magnificent, resplendent with gilding, rich in altar-rails, 
pictures, chapels, balustrades of fine metal, statues, and carvings. Entrance can 
be obtained at any time to the body of the cathedral, and to the great towers 
(200 feet high), and to the inner sanctuary, where the treasures are kept, by the 
payment of a small fee. 

Of other religious edifices, the Church of San Domingo, San Hypolito, and a 
dozen more, will well repay examination. The leading Protestant church is the 
Methodist, on Calle Gante : the finest is the Church of Jesus, Calle San Fran- 
cisco. The celebrated Calendar Stone is to be seen cemented into the western wall 
of the cathedral. 

The great museum, in the Palace collection of buildings, should demand a large 
portion of the visitor's time, as it contains famous relics of the past, such as the 
Sacrificial Stone, statues of the Aztec god of war and numerous others, vast collec- 
tions of pottery, portraits of famous Mexicans and viceroys, and a multitude of 
objects unique and interesting. Near this museum is the Academy of San Carlos, 
with its valuable collection of paintings and statuary. Entrance can be obtained 
to either upon application at the gates, and on certain days both are open to the 
public. The finest library in Mexico is the Biblioteca Nacional, in a magnificent 
structure, the renovated Convent of San Augustin : it contains over 100,000 vol- 
umes. The College of Mines, an immense building, is on the street of San Andres. 

The mint, from which has issued forth so many millions of Mexican silver, can 
be inspected as desired ; and the National Palace, containing the Senate Chambers, 
the Meteorological Observatory, and many relics of Mexico's past, is courteously 
opened to visitors, upon proper representation. 

The Post-Office is in the Calle de Moneda ; the Palace of Congress, in Calle del 
Factor; the Palace of Justice, in Cordobanes. 

SUBURBAN VILLAGES, ETC. 

The entire Mexican valley bristles with objects of antiquity, churches, or villages, 
connected with its fascinating history. 



22 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

The nearest suburb is Guadalupe, reached by tramway (two miles), where is the 
famous sanctuary to the Virgin Guadalupe, begun in 1622, and built at a cost of 
$Soo,ooo; gifts to which, including sixty lamjjs of silver and a silver tabernacle, 
reached a fabulous amount. A chapel on the hill above was built about a hun- 
dred years later : it overlooks the spot where the Virgin is said to have appeared 
to an Indian, in 1531, and there is here a fine mineral spring. The famous blanket 
with the miraculous image of the Virgin stamped upon it, the battle-flag of 
Hidalgo, and the bones of some good viceroys, are deposited in the temple. An 
annual pilgrimage is made here Dec. 12, when all the Indians assemble to do 
homage to the only Indian saint in the calendar. The treaty of 184S, between the 
United States and Mexico, was signed here. 

On the other side of the city is Chapultepec, with the finest groves of cypress 
in the country, surrounding a low hill upon which is perched the castle, stormed 
by the Americans in 1847, occupied by Maximilian, and now used as an astro- 
nomical observatory. One of the great aqueducts supplying Mexico starts from 
here ; the other, from El Desierto, a delightful wood fifteen miles from the city. 
Molino del Rev is just back of Chapultepec; Churubusco is on the main diligence 
road to the south ; Contrcras and the Pcdrcgal (other points famous in the Mexican 
war) are near San Angel, reached by tramway, as also is Tacubaya, a suburban 
town with gardens and fine views. The bull-ring, where fights go on every Sunday 
and feast-day, is just outside the limits of the Federal district, about one and one- 
half miles from Chapultepec. Tacuba, a small town on the northern causeway, is 
reached by tramway from the Plaza Mayor. At Popotla, a nea/ village, is the 
sacred tree of Noche Tristc, beneath which, it is said, Cortes sat him down, and 
wept at his great losses, when driven from the city in 1520. The American ceme- 
tery, the aqueduct, and the bridge of Alvarado, are all on this road, near which, 
before the city limits are passed, is the Cemetario of San Fernando, with its 
honored dead. The baths, hot and mineral, of El Pcrion, are about two miles 
from the city, beyond the San Lazaro gate ; while most extensive ones, with every 
convenience, are near the Grand Paseo. 

The various bazaars, with their thousand and one curios, are a never-ending 
source of entertainment, also the stores of the silversmiths, dealers in wax figures, 
sombreros and sarapes : they are everywhere, and need not be designated. 

Historic Tezcoco, seat of ancient empire, place whence Cortes invested Mexico, 
containing some ruins of interest, is reached by rail by the Ferrocarril Interoceaiiico, 
in an hour and a half; Chalco, almost equally celebrated, in two hours; by the 
same road, Amecameca, in three hours and a half, — an attractive town, with a cele- 
brated Sacro Monte (or sacred mount). Here the trail is taken for the summit 
of Popocatepetl, highest volcano in Mexico, fifteen miles distant. Taking the 
morning train, making arrangements in Ameca with the merchants Noriega 
Mijarcs, for horses, donkeys, guides, and provisions, one can ascend to the rancho 
at the snow-limit, before night, thence to the peak, and return next day, if desired. 
For a mountain of its height, Popocatepetl is comparatively easy of ascent; yet it 
will be best to provide one's self with a stout staff, heavy shoes, colored glasses, and 
abundant provisions. For further details, the reader is referred to "Travels in 
Mexico," Chap. XX. There are three hotels in Ameca, — Ferrocarril, Barcelona, 
and Neria. 

The most conspicuous ancient monuments near Mexico city are the Pyramids 



VARIOUS POINTS IN THE VALLEY. 



23 



of San Juan Teotihuacan, about forty miles ; leave the Mexican Railway at 
station of San Juan, and hire a guide in the village, a short distance from station. 

At Cuernavaca, reached by diligence, — a day's ride, — one may find most pictur- 
esque scenery, a semi-tropical climate, and vast sugar-estates. Good hotels are 
here. Beyond, over a rough road, horseback, are the ruins of Xochicalco, half 
a day, and the famous cavern of Cacahuamilpa, two days. The diligence-office is 
in the rear of Hotel Iturbide, Mexico City. 

An excursion by rail to Toluca, over the Mexican National Road, now finished as 
far as the quaint little city of Morelia, 378 kilometres, and fifteen hours, would 
include these celebrated places, and also Indian towns of importance, such as 
Maravatio and Acambaro, as well as views of forests, and mines of gold and silver. 

We have thus outlined merely, the principal points of interest in and near 
Mexico city, showing that its list of attractions is not a short one.' Good guide- 
books are numerous, giving them all in detail ; while guides and couriers are 
always ready at the principal hotels; and the number of Americans resident in 
the city, speaking the language of the country, and ever courteous in their atten- 
tions to a stranger, makes it an easy matter for him to " do " the valley without 
loss of time or temper. 




I With the opening of the first Mexican season, the well-known excursion managers, Messrs. Ray- 
mond and Whitcomb (who have successfully conducted so many large parties to California and the 
various resorts of the United States), will turn their attention towards Mexico. It will be especially 
grateful to tourists to be accompanied by guides and interpreters through a country which is essentially 
foreign, and to have every want provided for in advance, froin beginning to end of journey; and the 
writer takes pleasure in calling atteuiion to the forthcoming Raymond Excursions to Mexico. 



24 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



ROUTE II. 

l:O.STOX. NEW YORK, or CHICAGO, to ST. LOUIS, as in Route I. 
thence to City of Mexico, via the Missouri Pacific System and connections. 

(A) TEXAS PACIFIC and MEXICAN CENTRAL. 



From 


To. 


Distance. 


Time. 


Si. Louis 

F.I Paso 

From El Paso, south, as in 


El Paso «Texas Pacific) 

Ciiy of Mexico (Mexican Central) . 
Route I (.A). 


1 ,358 miles. 
1,325 miles. 

3,583 miles. 


66 hours. 
60 hours. 






126 hours. 



(B) MIS.SOURI I'ACIFIC SYSTEM and MEXICAN NATIONAL. 



From. 


To. 


Distance. 


Time. 


St. Louis 

Liredo 

S.iUillo 

San Miguel 


Laredo (.Missouri Pacific) .... 
Saltillo (.Mcxic.-in National) . . . 
San Miguel (by Diligence, 1884) . . 
City of Mexico (Mexican National), 


1,150 miles. 
334 miles. 
363 miles 
254 miles. 

3,000 miles. 


57 hours. 
13 hours. 
5 days. 
12 hours. 









A TRIP THROUGH TEXAS. 

^Vhile being rapidly whirled over the Texas prairies in the most luxurious of 
palace or dining cars, \vc shall be likely to for- 
get, unless frequently reminded of it, that we 
are crossing the largest State in the Union. 

Although our ob- , , n, ,, '^ 

ject is sight-seeing 
merely, yet as mate- 
rial resources influ- 
ence progress, and 
that, in turn, pro- 
vides comforts for 
t li e traveller, we 
should not omit to 
mention, that, while 
territorially vast, 
Texas also contains 
a great variety of 
soil, and consefjucnt 

vegetation; its crops of cotton, cane, and cereals, 
being enormous, while its prairies annually sustain over 4,000.000 cattle. Its area of 
274,350 s(|uarc miles is greater by over 30,000 square luiks than the Empire of Aus- 




tllVEK VIHW, SAN ANTONIO 

(Mittonri-Pait/ii: Ky ) 





'mek/cai ' 



fif/cflnmAi, 



\ 



'^"MM:"- 






ANTIQUITIES OF SAN ANTONIO, TEX. 



OVER THE BORDER. 25 

tria, exceeds the German Empire by 62,000 square miles ; while Great Britain and 
Ireland would form merely an oasis in one of its deserts. A native-born Texan 
could (and cheerfully would) add to these figures a mass of statistics showing 
that his State had the largest school-fund in the world, more miles of wire fence, 
more millions of acres awaiting a population, more fertile soil, and a finer climate, 
than any other country of the globe. While rather dubious about its soil, taking 
the territory as a whole, we can conscientiously commend its climate. From 
Austin its capital, southward, it improves in rarity and diathermancy, until at 
San Antonio we find a delightful temperature, faulty only from local causes. 

At Austin we enter a rolling region, famous for its woods, vales, and delightful 
vegetation, on the border of a land where the winter climate is tempered to the 
requirements of invalids who cannot endure the harsher temperature of the North. 
As the capital of the State, it is a centre of social refinement ; and its architecture 
is ambitious. Good hotels here render a stay of any length agreeable. But ar 
San Antonio, forty-eight hours from St. Louis, the tourist in search of winter 
sunbeams is likely to linger longest ; for, at the height of six hundred feet above 
the Gulf of Mexico, the humid coast atmosphere is deprived of its superfluous 
burden of moisture, and is soft, yet exhilarating. 

Through the quaint old city fiovvs a beautiful river, crossed in many places' by 
bridges, bubbling up here and there in wonderful springs, now laving the banks 
oT a smooth and ever-verdant lawn, then plunging into the sombre depths of a 
live-oak wood. Aside from the tree-fringed river that pursues its sinuous course 
through the very heart of the city, there are other streams equally attractive ; and 
springs burst out everywhere through the limestone, especially in its park, San 
Pedro, where they, are most numerous, and create a very paradise of flower and 
foliage by their tepid waters. Overlooking the city, on a hill, are the fine buildings 
of the United States military department; this place having long been occupied 
as headquarters, owing to its salubrity, and central and commanding location. 
Many of the most attractive resorts of San Antonio can be reached by horse-cars 
from the central plaza, about which are the best hotels. Here, likewise, is that build- 
ing so famous in the sanguinary struggle for Texan independence, — the Alamo. 
This old structure, whose walls were baptized in the blood of heroes, has been 
purchased by the State, and can be freely examined by all visitors. Nearly oppo- 
site is the Mexican Cathedral, worth a visit. But by far the most interesting 
relics of Mexican architecture are the celebrated mission-buildings, scattered along 
the river-bank, from a mile to several miles distant. San Jose and San Juan are 
most famous structures, not alone being ancient, but possessing architectural 
beauties in carven pillars, windows, and cornices that no modern buildings can 
rival. The halo of antiquity and of a most fascinating history lingers about them, 
and by no means should one of them be omitted from the tourist's itinerary. 

So it is that San Antonio gives us a hint of Mexico, in its bland climate, in the 
costumes of its Mexican population, in the architecture of its ancient buildings. 

Connection is made here, as well as at Austin, with New Orleans and Houston, 
and with Galveston, — that thriving city on the sands, with its grand hotel, fine 
drives, and delightful sea-bathing. 

Nine hours south of San Antonio, after a good night's rest in a luxurious 
"sleeper," we reach Laredo, and make change for cars of the Mexican National, 
a narrow-gauge road which runs as far (1SS4) as Saltillo, — 234 miles. A day could 



26 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



1)C well S]>cnt in Laredo, although it is not especially attractive; for here the Rio 

Grande is first seen, and on the oi>posite bank is the thoroughly Mexican town 

of Niievo Laredo, a 
tyi)ical mud village 
with many interesting 
]ieculiaritics. The (julf 
of Mexico may be 
reached (160 miles dis- 
tant) over the northern 
division of the Mexican 
National to Corpus 
Christi, where is excel- 
lent sea-bathing, and 
vast ranches, with 
abundant game — an- 
telope, deer, etc. — in 
sections on the way. 

The ride to Monterey 
is unrelieved by nota- 
ble scenery, and does 
not reveal a single town 
of importance, llalf- 
.\ay on, the blue and 
licautiful mountains 
appear in sight ; and a 
singular »u-sa, or table- 
topped hill, claims at- 
tention, with here and 
there scattered groups 
of upland palms and 
maguey-plants. At Vil- 
ladama a Nfexican meal 

is served ; and the monotony of the trip thence is unbroken until Monterey is 

reached, at four p.m. 

MONTEREY. 

Hacks are in waiting for every train (fare, twenty-five cents to the city, a mile 
distant), and gootl horse-cars (fare, ten cents). 

There are two hotels here, the Iturbide and Monterey, both in Mexican style, 
single-storied, built around an inner quadrilateral court. After the arid stretches 
below, Monterey is a glad surprise : surrounded by mountains, and at an elevation 
of 1,600 feet, its climate is extremely agreeable. Near it are several thermal and 
mineral springs, which contribute to its claims as a health-resort. The buildings 
are all in Mexican style. Its public structures are fine. It has many plttzas, the 
largest and most beautiful being the Plaza of Zaragoza, the fountain in which 
is of marble, sculptured in dolphins' antl lions' heads. 

Objects of interest: the Plaza; Cathedral; the Church and Convent of the Fran- 
ciscans ; a large Mnfinished temple, — Lii Uasilica Latcriiense ; the Casa Muiticipal, 




CONVIiNT OF SAN KKANtlseo, MONTEUBV. 

(^Loaned by Missouri- Pacific Ry.) 



DOWaN the MEXICAN PLATEAU. 



27 



or City Hall ; the Stale Palace; the Library; the Parian, or great bazaar; and in 
the suburbs, the ruins of the Black P'ort, captured by the Americans in 1847 > 
El Obispado, or Bishop's Palace, on a hill commantling a magnificent view; the 
Cemetery ; El Capillo, or chapel, across the river ; the two picturesque mountains. 




' -• BEVOND THE BORDER. 

jljfj^'y^'/Mv ' ' ''r ' " {By Missouri-Pacijic Ry.-) 

T, J '''/}// / La Silla (the Saddle), 5,000 feet high, and La Mitra (the 
« \ A Mitre) ; the bull-ring; the cock-pit; and the stretches of farms 

and gardens yet cultivated in the primitive manner of early 
times. To a stranger, this city, founded three hundred years ago, and its inhabit- 
ants, will be exceedingly interesting, as both represent and are typical of the Mexico 
of six hundred miles beyond. 

SALTILLO. 

A place yet more charming is Saltillo, sixty-seven miles farther, on the slopes 
of the table-land, among the mountains, yet with soft airs, blooming gardens, 
orchards, fields, springs, and streams. Its great Plaza, with its flowers and trees, 
as well as the entire city, is supplied with pure spring-water, conducted from the 



28 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 

hilltops. The great. Cathedral, covering an entire block, and with sculptured front, 
faces the Pixia : other churches, of all denominations, are here ; and the theatre, 
bull-ring, and alamcda furnish recreation and enjoyment. A fine hotel, the San 
Estevan, is in charge of Americans. The city government is in honest and friendly 
hands, and every thing promises well for the opening of Saltillo as an attractive 
resort, either for summer or winter. 

Below Saltillo is Lii EncanlaJa, the Enchanted Valley ; and seven miles out is 
Buena Vista, near which place Gen. Taylor defeated Santa Anna. The country 
beyond has no cities of any size, except Venado, a small manufacturing place, and 
consists of vast jilains bounded by mountains, the road running through hacinuias 
of immense extent, with an infrequent village, and halting-places where meals 
are served to the travellers by the diligence. 

SAN LUIS POTOSI, 

a city isolate in the great plains, soon to be connected by rail with the United 
States and with the gulf-port of Tampico, contains many fine public buildings, 
notable being the Palace of Justice and Governor's Palace, the Cathedral, churches 
of el Caimen, San Augustine, San Francisco, and la Merced, colleges of advanced 
grades, the usual plazas, and narrow, picturesque streets, with hotels as yet only 
in the Mexican style. 

Southward, in the track of the railroad, lie vast haciendas, such as Jaral, which 
once controlled 20,000 peons, and whose owner furnished a full regiment of cavalry 
to aid the royalists against the Mexican insurgents. 

Dolores Hidalgo, a small place, is celebrated in Mexican revolutionary history ; 
for here the jjatriot Hidalgo first sounded the watchword of liberty that eventually 
spread over all Mexico. San Miguel is a larger cit}', with about 20,000 inhabitants, 
with neat churches and fine squares ; while curious Indian villages are scattered 
all along the route. At Celaya. a city of about 30,000 inhabitants, the National 
crosses the Central ; and the journey can be pursued either by way of Acambaro 
and Toluca, 200 miles, or by the Mexican Central (Route I.), iSo miles, via Quere- 
taro and Tula, to the city of Mexico. 



NEIV YORK AND NEW ORLEANS TO MEXICO CITY. 29 

ROUTE III. 

TO CITY OF MEXICO, FROM THE EAST, VIA NEW ORLEANS. 
Distance, 2,250 miles; time, 7 days. 

Several all-rail routes are open to New Orleans, either via Pennsylvania Railroad 
through Washington, and Southern connections by way of Danville and Atlanta, 
or south from Cincinnati. Connections at New Orleans for Texas and Mexico. 

By the most direct route, the Piedmont Air Line, it is 1,374 miles from New 
York to New Orleans, and 54 hours through-time. 

A varied and delightful trip, embracing a sea-voyage also, may be made by steam 
from Boston (Boston and Savannah Steamship Company), sailing every Thursday, 
and connecting with trains (two daily) the following Monday for New Orleans (26 
hours, and 576 miles). Connections are made here with the all-rail line to the 
Pacific and Mexico, and with steamers to Galveston and Vera Cruz. By this line 
of travel, Florida may be visited en route. \ 

THE NEW ORLEANS AND MEXICAN STEAMSHIP LINE. 

Distance, 876 miles; time (direct), 4 1-2 days. 

From New Orleans to Vera Cruz there are two lines, the Morgan and the 
Alexandre, making the round trip every twenty-one days. The steamer touches, 
going and coming, at the Mexican ports of Bagdad, Tampico, and Tuxpan, and 
arrives at Vera Cruz on the morning of the sixth day after leaving New Orleans. 

Bagdad, situated at the mouth of the Rio Grande, is the seaport of the city 
of Matamoras, anid is the first stopping-place on the outward trip ; and the run 
from Bagdad to the mouth of the Panuco River, upon whose left bank the city and 
seaport of Tampico is situated, is about thirty hours. 

As there a"e seldom more than eight feet of water on the bar of the river, and the 
water shoab considerably near the coast, the steamer is compelled to anchor about 
• two miles off shore, and discharge her cargo into lighters. During the winter 
months, frequent "northers" blow with great violence along the entire Mexican 
gulf-coast ; and, as there is not a single well-protected harbor along the entire 
gulf, sailing-vessels, and very often steamers also, are compelled to up anchor, and 
run to sea. 

The Central Railroad Company is engaged in constructing a railroad from 
Tampico to San Luis Potosi, the capital of the rich mining State of the same name ; 
and, when this is completed, all the varied products of the tropical and semi- 
tropical countries through which it passes will be brought to Tampico for ship- 
ment to foreign markets. From Tampico to Tuxpan is 125 miles. Here, also, the 
seaport is situated on the bank of a river some distance from the coast ; and, as at 
Tampico the bar of the river carries but little water, the ship lies off the mouth 
of the river about two miles from the bar. The products of the country in the 
vicinity of Tuxpan are sugar, molasses, honey, rice, vanilla, cedar and other 
woods, rubber, and many kinds of tropic fruits. 

The colonists (including an American colony of about six hundred persons) are 
engaged principally in planting and in cutting cedar and dye-woods. Most of 
these products go to Northern ports, particularly the dye-woods and cedar ; which 
latter, however, finds its best market in Europe. 



30 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



From Tiixpan to Vera Cruz the distance by sea is 120 miles. The steamers 
leave the Tuxpan roadstead late in the evening, and arrive at the port of Vera 
Cruz about seven the next morning. Here, also, the ship receives and discharges 
her cargo by means of lighters, although she lies but about a half-mile from the 
mole, within a few yards of the celebrated fortress of San Juan de Ulua. At 
this city, the terminus of the line, the steamer connects with the New- York line, 
owned by the same company, and which touches at the ports of Frontera, Cam- 
pcche, Progreso, and Havana. 

The Morgan Line makes the round trip between Morgan City and Vera Cruz 
twice a month, leaving Morgan City on the ist, arriving at Vera Cruz on the sth ; 
returning, leaves Vera Cruz on the Sth, and reaches Morgan City on the evening 
of the 1 2th, which port it leaves again for Vera Cruz on the i6th, etc., touching 
at (lalvcston both wavs. 




A CATKWAV, VERA CRUZ. 



Palmer-Sullivan Concession. 
MEXICAN NATIONAL RAILWAY. 





V 






^C,-^:>V> 




EAST COAST OF MEXICO. 



31 



ROUTE IV. 

BY SEA VIA CUBA AND YUCATAN, MEXICAN RAILWAY TO CITY 

OF MEXICO. 





Distance. 


Time. 




1,187 miles. 


At Havana, 
At Progreso, 


4 days. 
1 day. 
1 5 days. 
I day. 
i\ days. 


Havana to Progreso (Yucatan) . . 
Progreso to Vera Cruz 


• • •» • 


426 miles. 
388 miles. 




2,001 miles. 


9 days. 
14 hours. 







In speaking of Mexico, we naturally presuppose that the capital is meant ; and 
it is with the City of Mexico as an objective point that these descriptions of 
routes are written. Ten days' voyaging, and two thousand miles, intervene between 
New York and Vera Cruz, principal seaport of Mexico. 



THE ALEXANDRE STEAMERS. 

A fleet of large iron steamers connects New York with the only port of any size 
on the Mexican coast. These steamers call at Havana, four days out, and reach 
the first Mexican port, at Progreso, on the peninsula of Yucatan, two days later. 
Two of these boats, the " City of Alexandria " and " City of Washington," are the 
finest of any engaged in coastwise commerce. They are over 300 feet in length, 
38 feet wide, and 33 feet deep, are built of iron, and furnished throughout with 
every convenience and comfort that can be found upon the great ocean-steamers 
between this country and Europe. Each has superb accommodations for 150 first- 
class passengers, and, in place of the common tables usually found in our coast 
steamers, has small tables, at which four persons can dine or lunch a la carte ^ 
at any hour. The saloons are immense, and finished beautifully in fine woods, 
showing every color, from black walnut to amaranth. A seventh steamer was 
launched in 18S2, the " City of Puebla," that was intended to surpass, if possible, 
all the others of the fleet. 

After leaving Progreso, these steamers touch successively at Campeche and 
Frontera, arriving at Vera Cruz in from ten to twelve days, whence, after remaining 
four days, they return to New York. Coming down from New Orleans are two 
steamers of the same line, which touch at Bagdad, Tampico, and Tuxpan, reaching 
Vera Cruz inside of five days. The journey there might be shortened, if long 
delays were not made in every port. Eight days by the sea-route, and six via 
New Orleans, ought to cover it ; but generally the passenger welcomes these stays 
in port as opportunities for side trips into the country. The rates of passage are 
as follows : From New York to Vera Cruz, first-class, $85 ; excursion, good for 
six months, $150; New Orleans to Vera Cruz, $50; excursion, $So. 

It is at Progreso, on the coast of Yucatan, that the steamer first enters 



J- 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



Mexican dominion, and the low-lying coast presents itself to view. This port 
is connected with the interior by a railroad to Merida, the capital of the State 
of Yucatan, whence other roads lead into a region growing more attractive 
year by year. 

The fare from Progreso to Merida is one dollar ; distance, twenty-six miles. The 
entire peninsula — its picturesque features, at least — has been so minutely 
described in the author's "Travels in Mexico," Chaps. I.-X., that nothing remains 
but to refer the reader to that work. Merida will be found quaint and attractive, 
and numerous excursions can be taken from this point to visit the wonderful ruins 
and hunting localities. Address Dr. George F. Gaumer, Merida, Yucatan, — a 
gentleman who has hunted throughout the length of the peninsula, — for particulars. 




THE MOAT, VERA CRl'Z. 

Aside from points reached by the interior railways, the following ancient and 
interesting places can be visited hs vohm cochi,ox private conveyance : Uxmal, 65 
miles; fare, $20; Ake, 30 miles; fare. Si 5; Mayapan, 30 miles; fare, $15; Izamal, 
45 miles (mail-wagon) ; fare, $7 ; Chichcn Itza, 120 miles ; fare, $50. 

Hotels arc scarce, but the people of Yucatan arc hospitable. 

Passing on the way Campechc and Frontcra, ports of call, off which the steamers 
generally lie long enough to give opportunity for visiting the shore, they anchor at 
Vera Cruz, under the walls of the great island-fortress, San Juan dc LMua. Poats 
convey passengers to land (fare, fifty cents), where Inggage is examined with little 
delay. Good hotels are numerous, at about three dollars per day; also restaurants. 
Objects of interest: Custom-IIouse, main Plaza, old Convent, and the great Fort. 
A ride in the street-cars into the suburbs will display nearly all of the attractions of 
Vera Cruz, and a day or so exhaust them all. 



FROM VERA CRUZ INTO THE INTERIOR. 33 

Other steam-lines centring here from foreign countries are : the German Line to 
Havre and Hamburg, monthly; the Royal Mail, monthly, to Plymouth and South- 
ampton ; Spanish Line, monthly, to Spain ; French Line, monthly, to St. Nazaire, 
etc. ; a Mexican Line to home ports on the Gulf. 

From Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico, distant 263 miles, and 14 hours, runs the 
great line known as the Mexican Railway.' 

A branch line also runs to Jalapa, seventy miles, a most delightful town in the 
mountains, passing over the ancient royal road, and through the pass of Cerro 
Gordo. This trip should not be omitted. 

The entire journey, from the coast to the valley of Mexico, is through grand and 
picturesque scenery, giving every variety of vegetation as the mountains are as- 
cended, crossing numerous bridges, spanning ravines and barrancas, and with snow- 
covered Orizaba ever in sight, even^over the fields of sugarcane and coffee, and 
banana-gardens. 

Cordova, sixty-five miles from Vera Cruz, presents a charming blending of tropi- 
cal and temperate scenery and climate, and is in the ceiitre of the coffee region. Its 
hotels are poor. 

Orizaba, eighty-two miles, has better hotels and many attractions, including fine 
streams, mountain-views, and an interesting architecture and people. 

Maltrata is in a beautiful mountain valley, above which the track climbs to the 
crest of the table-land at Boca del Monte. 

At Esperanza, 1 1 r miles, a narrow-gauge railway connects for Tehuacan, a town 
worth visiting, whence a diligence runs a day's journey southward, towards Oaxaca, 
the birthplace of Diaz and Juarez, a city of 27,000, extremely interesting, and with 
fascinating ruins lying about it. To reach it requires three days' travel on horse- 
back, besides one day in the diligence. Horses must be ordered in advance. No 
hotels on the route, but fair ones in Oaxaca. 

At Apizaco, 176 miles, a branch leads off to the beautiful city of Puebla, with 
70,000, with a host of attractions, —a grand cathedral with magnificent interior, libra- 
ries, baths, bull-ring, fair hotels, and fine buildings. Six miles distant by tramway 
is the famous Pyramid of Cholula, with its ancient town, containing many buildings 
of early date. All about is spread a mountainous country, enveloping fertile plains. 
Three great mountains, including Popocatepetl, are near to Puebla and Cholula. 

At Irolo, 215 miles, another line runs northward to Pachuca, a mining centre 
worked from the years of the Conquest, where are the famous Real del Monte 
mines, and others of note. There are good hotels here. It is a delightful day's jour- 
ney from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, — one so filled with varied scenes, that its like 
may not be found elsewhere in America. Trains enter the suburb of Buena Vista, 
whence conveyances (as described on p. 18 ) take passengers to the city. 

' Vera Cruz and the ascent to Mexico fully described in Travels in Mexico, Chap. XXH. 



34 A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



ROUTE V. 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.. TO CITY OF MEXICO, via SOUTHERN 
PACIFIC RAILUOAD TO EL PASO, AND MEXICAN CENTRAL. 

Time, San Francisco to El P.i&o, 58 hours; El Paso 10 Mexico City, 60 hours = 118 hours, 
l^itlance, San Francisco to El Paso, 1,286 miles: El Paso to Mexico City, 1,225 miles - 2,511 miles. 

At Benson, on Southern Pacific Railroad, connection is made with Guaymas, Gulf of California. 

Local fares by this route arc ten cents per mile. 

ROUTE VI. 

SAN FRANCISCO TO MEXICO (WEST COAST), via PACIFIC MAIL 

STEAMERS. 

Distance, San Francisco to Port of Mnzatlan 1,165 miles. 

Distance, San Francisco to Manzanillo 1,456 miles. 

Disl.ince, San Francisco to Acapulco 1,607 miles. 

Distance, San Francisco to Salina Cruz (Tehuanicpcc) 1,89s miles. 

Distance, San Francisco to San Josi (Guatemala) 2,196 miles. 

Distance, San Francisco to Panama (Isthmus) 3>>98 miles. 

Distance, San Francisco to New York (touching at Mexican poits) 5,220 miles. 

Time between San Francisco and New York, about rwenty-ninc days, — twenty days on the Pacific, and 
nine on the Atlantic. 

Fares, the same as by rail across the continent. 

Acapulco is the finest port of Mexico on the Pacific, in the State of Guerrero, 
about 190 miles south-west of Mexico City, in latitude north, 16° 55'; longitude, 
99° 4S' west. Population, 3,000. 

" It was not discovered," says R. A. Wilson, "when Cortes built, in Colinia, the 
vessels that went to search for a north-west passage ; but, when they had returned 
from their fruitless search, they anchored in the mountain-girt harbor of Acapulco. 
The discoveries of the celebrated navigator Magellan fi.xed the commercial char- 
acter and importance of this seaport. He had sailed through the straits that 
bear his name, and coasted northwardly as far as the Trades, and from thence 
he bore away to the Spic» Islands, discovering on the voyage the Philippine 
Islands, where the city of Manila was founded. Hy this voyage he demonstrated 
that the advantages of a route across the Pacific were so superior to a voyage 
around Cape Horn, as to justify the expense of a land transit from Acapulco to 
\'era Cruz, and reshipment to S|)ain. 

"The practical advant.tge of this discovery was the establi.vhmcnt of the annual 
Manila galleon, in which was sent out 5i,ooo,coo to purchase Oriental products 
for the consumption of Spain and all her American Colonies. In this galleon 
sailed the friars that went forth to the spiritual conquest of India. In it sailed 
Spanish soldiers, who followed hard after the priests, to add the temporal to the 
spiritual subjugation of Oriental emi)ircs. To this harbor the galleon returned, 
freighted with the rich merchandise of Cljina, Jajian, and the S|)ice Islands. 
When the arrival of the galleon was announced, traders hastened from every 
quarter of New Spain to attend the annual fair. Little vessels from down the 
coast came to get their share of the mammoth cargo. The king's officers came 
to look after the royal revenue; and caravans of mules were summoned to transport 
the Spanish portion of the freight to Vera Cruz. 



ACAPULCO, PACIFIC COAST. 



35 



" Such was the commercial condition of the town down to the time of the inde- 
pendence. From this time it was lost to commerce, until it was made a halfway 
house on the voyage to California. The town lies upon a narrow intervale between 
the hills and the harbor. It is built of the frailest materials, and is destroyed 
about once in ten years by an earthquake. 

"The castle of San Diego stands upon a high bank; and the harbor appears 
like a nest scooped out of the mountains, into and out of which the tide ebbs 
and flows through a double channel riven by an earthquake in the solid rock. 
There is still another opening in the sharp mountain-ridge that encloses it from 
the sea; but this opening, dug by the labor of man, at a point opposite the entrance 
of the harbor, was to let the cool sea-breeze in upon one of the hottest and most 
unhealthy places upon the continent. Such, in substance, is and was the little 
city of Acapulco, the seat and focus of the Oriental commerce of New Spain." 

This admirable description will apply to Acapulco of to-day, except that it 
would be well to add that the city awaits only the coming of the railroad from the 
city of Mexico, to awaken a revival of its lost commerce. The uniting of this 
port by rail with the gulf-port of Vera Cruz was the first object of railway 
projectors in Mexico ; and this will at last be accomplished by the completion 
of the Morelos Railroad, through Amecameca, Cuernavaca, and Chilpancingo. 

By road, the journey between this port and the capital consumes twelve days, 
over one of the worst trails in the country, worn by the feet of mules for the past 
three centuries. 




ANCIENT AQL'EDICT, VERA CRl'Z. 



LIST OF ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Raymond's Vacation Excursions front cover, inside 

Pope Huyclc Company . facing front cover, mside 

Nation:il Tube Works (English) fly leaf, page i 

National Tube Works (Spanish) fly leaf, page li 

Mcisterschaft System page facing title 

Ksic» i*s£ I^uriat, f'libli^hers .... ... . page facing title 

Travelers" Insurance Company .... page iv, facing " Mexican Resources" 

Brown, Wood, & Kingman page v (colored) 

Nashua Hand Drill page v " 

Parker^ Wood (Agricultural Implcmcnn) page vi " 

Parker & Wood (Agricultural Implements) . . pagc vii " 

Geo. Woods Company Parlor Organs . . .... page vili " 

Hamilton Manufacturing Company (Cottons) page ix '* 

Kail River I,ine Steamers . . page x " 

Fuller & Hollzer( Electrical Supplies) page x " 

I'lair 'lourograph Company . page xi " 

Boston & Savannah Steamship Company ... page xi " 

Geo. C Richardson, Smith, & Company (Selling Agents). . . pagc xii " 

E. W. Vaill (Folding Chairs) .... .... page xii " 

G. H. lUishnell & Company (Knuckle-joint Presses) page xiii " 

Webster's Dictionary ; Abopado Cristiano .... ... page xiv '" 

Bell's Insect Exicrminator: DeWiit C. Newell ... . ..... page xiv " 

Wiihetby. Rugg, & Richardson (Planing Machinery) . page xv " 

G H. Bu>hncil & Company (Spanish) ... . . page xvi " 

Washburn, Moen, & Company (Iron .aad Steel Wire) page xvii *' 

Howard, Bullougn, & Riley (Colion .Machinery) page xviii " 

Howard, Bullough, & Rilcy (Spanish) ... ..... page xix " 

Fairbanks's Standard Scales page xx " 

Alexandre Steamship Company facing page 19 of Guide 

Lewis Engraving Company lacing back cover 

Filchburg Railroad facing back cover 

Leve & Alden (Tours and Excursions) back cover, inside 

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad . . . back cover, outside 



INDEX OF MAPS AND ILLUSTLATIONS. 



PA&K 

Fitchburg Railroad 58 

Horse Shoe Curve 5<) 

Pennsylvania Railro.td .bo 

Dining Car Guide, a 

Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad facing page 3 

Drawing-room Car . . 3 

Sleeping Car 4 

On Santa F<S Trail .... 5 

Las Vegas Hot Springs 6 

Mexican Hut .... 7 

The Kio Grande ... . . 10 

Fountain at Chihuahua . ti 

Interior of Adobe Hut . 14 

I'lan of City of .Mexico facing page 18 

Market View .... a J 

River View, San Antonio, Tex . . . »4 

.Mexican Missions, San Antonio facing page 14 

Majiof .Missouri Pacific Railway facing page as 

A Convent 26 

.Monterey, Mexico ... a7 

Gateway, Vera Criii 30 

Map of .Mexican National Railway facing page 30 

Map of Piedmont Air Line lacing page 31 

The .Moat, Vera Cruz 33 

Ancient Aaueduct ?S 

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fi Railroad back cover, outside 

36 



CONTENTS. 



MEXICAN EESOUECES. 



PAGE 

Area and Boundaries i 

Physical Features of Coast and Plateaux . 2 
Climate and Seasons ; JMountains, Rivers, 

Lakes, etc 3 

Zones of Vegetation 4 

Flora of Mexico. ... 5 

Timber and Construction Woods 6 

Cabinet and Dye Woods 7 

Cereals, Textile Plants, etc 8 

Wild and Cultivated Fruits g 

Medicinal Plants 10 

Flowers and Ornamental Plants 11 

Aztec Agriculture 12, 13 

Real Estate in Mexico ; Seed-time and Har- 
vest 14 

Agriculture on the Table-land 15 

Agriculture in the Hot Coast Region . ... 16 

Horse and Cattle Raising 17, 18 

Sheep, Goats, and Swine 19 

Irrigation and Improved Agriculture . ... 20 
Tables showing Annual Agricultural Produc- 
tions . .21 

Special Products : Arrowroot, Banana, and 

Plantain 22 

Cacao, Cactaceae, Cassava, Chirimoya ... 23 



PAGE 

Coca and Coco-palm 24 

Coffee : Culture, Range, and Production . 25, 26 
Cotton : Ancient and Modern Cultivation ; 

Amount produced 27 

Henequett or Sisal Hemp 28 

Indigo, Cochineal, Maize, and Wheat ... 29 

Rice, Sarsaparilla, and Vanilla 30 

Sugar-cane : Cultivation and Production . . 31 

Tobacco 32 

M ineral Regions of Mexico 33 

History of Mexican Mines 34 

Ancient Mines of the Aztecs 35 

The Great and Famous Mines 36 

Total Product of Mexican Mines . , . 37, 38, 39 

Gold, when and where found 40 

Silver, Principal Veins 41 

Quicksilver 42 

Iron, Copper, Lead, Sulphur, etc 43 

Precious Stones, Opals, etc 44 

Obsidian, Salt, Coals, and Mineral Oils ... 45 
Me.Mcan Process of reducing Ore .... 46-54 
Annual Amount produced ; Mining Nomen- 
clature 55 

Coinage of the Mexican Mints 56 

Mexican Coins ; Weights and Measures . . 57 



A GUIDE TO MEXICO. 



TAGE 

Distance and Time-tables from all Great Cities 

of the United States i 

To Mexico, via St. Louis 2 

Westward, across the Great Plains .... 3 

Across Kansas ... 4 

In New Mexico 5 

At Las Vegas Hot Springs . . ... 6, 7 

Santa Fc : Railroads of New Mexico ... 8 

Indians ; the Pueblos .... .... 9 

F.I Paso and the Rio Grande to 

Chihuahua, Durango, and Zacatecas . . . . 11 

Mines of Zacatecas 12 

Lagos, Leon, and Giian.ajuato I3i M 

The Baxio, Salamanca, Celaya 15 

Quereiaro 16 

The Valley of Mexico . '7 

City of Mexico ; Hacks and Street-railroads 18 

Foreign Consuls ; Hotels and Restaurants 19 



PAGE 

Theatres, Banks, Plnzns and Pnseos ... 20 
Churches, Museums, Libraries; Suburban Vil- 
lages . . 21 

Chapultepec, Guadalupe, Tezcoco, etc. ... 22 

Historic Towns of the Valley 23 

Distance and Time-tanles across Texas ... 24 

Austin and San Antonio 25 

Monterey, Northern Mexico 26 

Saltillo ". Huena Vista Baille-ground . ... 27 

San Luis Potosi ; down the Mexican Plateau . 28 

To Mexico Cily via New Orleans 20 

Vera Cruz and the Gulf Coast 30 

To Mexico via Cuba and Yucatan ; the .'Mex- 

andre Steamers 31 

Yucatan and Vera Cruz 32 

Cordova, Orizaba, Puebla, Pachuca .... 33 

San Francisco to Mexico 34 

Acapulco and West Coast of Mexico .... 35 

Z7 




THE LEWIS ENGRAVING COMPANY 

E9Gi^^t?i9S8 for IhLiQSTi^OT^Q^s 4i^^^ ty'd^s, 

SICH AS 

Machinery, Bui/dings, Portraits, Landscapes, Maps, Plans, etc. 

Our superior facilities enable us to furnish strictly first-class work at low rates. 

FITCHBURG RAILROAD, 

HOOSAC TUNNE L ROUTE. 

GREAT ALL-RAIL LINE 

BETWEEN 

BOSTON 

CITY OF "MEXICO. 

Three Express -Trains leave the depot, Causeway Street, Boston, daily (Sundays excepted >,« ith 
Pullman Palace, liufTct, Drawitig-Room, and Sleepinu Cars attached, running without change through 
the most beautiful and picturesque country on the American Continent, to 

ch:ioa.q-o, 

where connections a»e made with all railroads diverging to Kansas City; thence on to the city of 
Mexico. 

Kor Tickets, Map«, Time-Tablcs, Berths in SleepinR-Cars, etc., apply at the Company's Office, 

250 WASHINGTON STREET, BOSTON, MASS. 



JOHN ADAMS. J. WHITMORE, J. R. WATSON, 

General Superintendent. Traffic Manager. Ceneul Passenger Agent. 



BROWN, WOOD & KINGMAN. 



ARLINGTON MILLS. \ New York. 

BALTIC MILLS. 
CONTINENTAL MILLS. 
FITCHBURG WORSTED CO. \ Boston. 
FREEMAN MFG. CO. 
GEO. H. GILBERT MFG. CO. 
Chicago.X LINCOLN MILL. 

JAMES PHILLIPS. jR. 
RENFREW MFG. CO. 
PHILADELPHI A.X WHITNEY M ILLS. 

Agents for the Sale of 

COTTON, WOOLLEN, AND WORSTED GOODS, 

FANCY AND PLAIN. 

A NEW HAND ROCK DRILL. 



The Best ever Invented. 

The Lightest, Simplest, 

Strongest, and 

Cheapest in the Market. 

It will Drill from One 
to Two Inches a Minute, 

and can be 

Worked at Any Angle in 

Any Direction. 



SEND FOR CIRCULAR. 

NASHUA HAND ROCK DRILL COMPANY, 
70 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass. 




GEO. WOODS CO. PARLOR ORGANS 

ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD. 

Finest. Purest, and St¥eetest Tone : the most thoroughly constructed Organ made. 
The Cheapest is as well made as the Best. 




In ihe Inalnimenti made by ihU (.onip.iny no cxt^cn^e i» sp.ired in pcifcLiing to the utMio>l nicely 
every dcl.iil of conm ruction and workm.->n»hip. They are thoroughly m.ide, and will last a lifclinie. 
Riving btii little trouble to the purch.'wer. When thene thing* are conmdered, thi« is the cheapest Urgan 
made. Send for cat.'tlogues and price-list. Manufactor)- at Cambtidgcport, Mast. 

Warerooma and Office, 608 Washington St., Boston. 

viii 



THE 



Hnmilton fflanuL En., 

- ESTABLISHED IN 1825, 

iRINTERS OF iALIGOES, 

WILL MANUFACTURE AND PACK TO ORDER 

ASSORTED STYLES 

FOR THE 

MEXICAN MARKET. 



Address, JOY, LANGDON, 86 COMPANY, 

Boston and New York. 

9 ^ 

Com PA/VIA Manufacturer A Hamilton. 

ESTABLECIDA EN 1825, • 

ESTAMPADORA DE TELAS DE ALGODON, 

FADRICA Y EMPAQUETA A LA ORDEN 

SURTIDOS DE ZARAZAS 

PARA EL 

ME RCA DO MEJICANO. 



Direcclon, 

JOY, LANGDON, & COMPANY, 

Boston and New York. 



FALL RIVER LINE, 

THE OKEAT KuLTE BETWEEN 

New York and Boston, 

and Principal Cities, Seashore and Summer Resorts in New England. 



PILGRIM, BRISTOL, PROVIDENCE, 

NEWPORT, OLD COLONY, 

The finest, most cleeant, .ind costly fleet of passenger steamers of their class ever placed at the disposal 
of the travelling public. 

SPLENDID BANDS OF MUSIC 

are attached to steamers during the summer season. 

The route of this Line is vid Newport and Fall River; the rail connection, the Old Couiny 
Railroad. 

From New York. Steamers leave Pier 28, North River, foot of Murray Street. 

From Boston. Connecting trains leave from Old Colony Depot, corner South and Knee- 
land Streets. 

Connection to and from Brooklyn and Jersey City by annex boat. • 

Ask. for Tickets via Fall River Line. 



J. R. KENDRICK, Gen'l Manager, 

ItOSTOX. 



GEO. L. CONNOR, Gen'l Pass. Agt., 
>KW YOKK. 




Manufacturers 



OF ALL KINDS OF 



Electrical 

Supplies, 

ANNUNCIATORS, 

Batteries, Bells, etc. 



Send for Illustrated Catalogue. 



S. W. FULLER & HOLTZER, 

22 Milk Street. Boston, Mass., U.S.A. 



PHOTOGRAPHY AS A PASTIME. 




The articles which have been written commentling this fasci- 
nating Art-Science, in its present stage of perfection and simpli- 
city, as a means of recreation and education, are innumerable, 
and are familiar to all readers. 

The superiority of the filair CnmvrtiH for the professional 
or unprofessional is now freely acknowledged, and the manu- 
facturers feel proud to count amongst their patrons many of 
the most competent judges in the country. A thrcit-retit 
statu p will secure their explanatory catalogue {illustrated), 
and twenty t-eiits ndditiorial will procure for the sender 
a copy of the " Amateur Guide in Photography," " the most 
practical work of the kind published." 

THE 



BLAIR TOUROGRAPH AND DRY PLATE CO. 




471 and 475 TREMONT ST., 
Boston, Mass. 

77 Fulton Street, New York. 

148 ^V. Fourth Street, Cincinnati, O. 

529 Commercial Street, San Francisco, Cal. 



Their Goods are for Sale by all leading Mer- 
chants in Photographic Supplies. 



GO TO MEXICO 




T 






Owning and operating a Direct Weekly Line between Boston and Savannah, composed of the Superb 
New Iron Steamers of 2,200 tons burden each, 

" GATE CITY," commanded by CAPT. HEBGE, 

" CITY OF MACON," commanded by CAPT. KELLY. 

Elegani Passenger Accommodaiions, Fastest Time, Lowest Rates. 

Connect at Savannah with All-Rail and Steamer Lines to all parts of Tlorida, the South, and Mexico. 

Go to Mexico via this Line and Florida, and escape the hot, 

dusty all-rail lines. 

Through Tichets sold to all Joints in the South, 



For Hates of Freight and Passage apply to 

W. H. RING, Nickerson's Wharf, Boston. 

A. DeW. SAMPSON. 201 Washington St., Boston. 
RICHARDSON & BARNARD, Savannah, Ga. 



^eo.C.[(ictiarf?oi],^ml,X{^Go. 

178 DEVONSHIRE ST., BOSTON, 
115 and 117 WORTH ST., NEW YORK. 



SELLING AGENTS FOR THE 



Lowell Manuf. Co., 
Everett Mills, 

Boott Cotton Mills, 

York Manuf. Co., 

Lewiston Mills, 



Lawrence Manuf. Co., 
Mass. Cotton Mills, 
Tremont Mills, 
Suffolk Mills, 
Prescott Mills. 



AMONG THE TRODrCTS OF THESE MILLS ARE 



Carpets; Brown Cottons of all Grades; Ginghams, Staple 

and Fancy Patterns; Canton Flannels, both Brown 

and Bleached; Blue and Bleached Drills; 

Ducks, Seamless Bags, etc. 




-C-i. vV . V _ii. J_ i_j X-i, 

MANUFACTIREK OP 

PATENT FOLDING-CHAIRS, 

15 Viiion (street, Worcester, MaHH. 

The lareent establishment of the kind in the World, occupying n floor-surface of over two acres; 
supplied with the rnont improved niachiner)-, aUo two large dry-no\ise» uf>on the most improved pl.in. 

The above is in cle>»e proximity to I'a&scnger and Krcicht Stations. 

1 manufacture orrr our liinittml vrirlrttea, adapted to Parlor, Drawing-room, Armv and 
Na-.v, Coscerthall, I. ECTi'RE-RooM, Mountain and Seashore, Hotels, and Private Residences. 

Also several varieties adapted for I'ndcrlaker's use. 

My facilities for producing First-clats Ooods, and at I>ow Figurei, are unequalled. 

Branch HfHiet : Nrw Yohk, 17 Eliralxiih Street: KfF.LiiofKNi!, Al'STRALIA, 7 and o Eastern 
Arcade: Ai.RXANUKiA, I-U;vn, Place Mchcmct Ali and Passage Cavour; LoKDON, E.C., 38 King Wil- 
ium Street and Uld Swan Wharf. vii 



G. H. BUSHNELL & CO., 
Worcester, Mass., U.S.A., 



SOLE MANUFACTURERS OF 



BUSHNELL'S IMPROVED 

KNUCKLE-JOINT PRESSES 



MAN, HORSE, MULE, OX, WATER, or STEAM POWER. 



Prensa con Plataforma Giratoria, 
para Fnitas, etc. 




Prensa para Papel. 




Press with Revolving Plyifcrm, 
for BVuits, etc. 

Para Cintns 6 Cintv rones. 



Paper Press, 
De Mano, para Chicharrones. 





Beits 



Hand Scrap. 



Our Presses work quicker and more easily than any other style, and are suita- 
ble for a large variety of uses, prominent among which are the following : — 

COTTON, WOOLLEN, PAPER, AND WOOD-PULP MILLS; PRINT- 
ERS; TANNERS; CURRIERS; COTTON-SEED, LINSEED, AND 
CASTOR OILS; LARD, FISH, AND PARAFFINE OILS; WAX, 
BOOKBINDERS, BELT, RAGS, HERBS, FRUIT, WINE, 
MESCAL, OLEOMARGARINE, AND SCRAP. 



Catalogues Free, in English and Spanish. Correspondence Solicited. 
(See next page facing text.) 

xiii 



WEBSTER'S UNABRIDGED. 

t.Ju-i^u"^^™J"m'J;"'"*'' »'«"•»»""- The Latest Edition has 118,000 

J ^ >^^ Words, (3000 mere lli:4ii any othor 

J^^Sreey/^J^.'^^ S^m An.-n.»., I.i.iy.) 4 Pages Colored 
'mABR/DCtn/ ^^'''°" (SBmf Pl^te^-aOOOEngravings.tn. arly 

Wrt,n-^,nMi. / ^'^'^ ,^^^ml 3 tinii-s tlio i)uniU:r lu anv oiiiir Aini-rU 
^DICTIONAR y/sUPPLEHEHT^'Iml ..n Di-fy.) aLocontainsa JBiographl- 
^"^ ^^>S^/ *"*^ Dictionary, pivinc f.riff faota 

s^Sf I concerning 9700 Noted Persons. 



"THE FAmLY EDDCATOR."-"A LIBRARY IN ITSELF. 



"No family Lil I nnlriii niii;lit t<i !'<• l^r.iUKlit up witlmnt li:i\ inir riiuly a<'fo«s tr> this 
granif voliiriii-. li will aii^w.T llii>ii>ani|s of <juf.tji>iis i«> tlip \vii|<--uwaki' oliiiiJ. Ii man 
ever-pr«»M«-iit an. I r<'Ii»l>le Hrliool-niastor to llio wholi> fatiiilv." — .s'. .S. Ilrrald. 
J>ublUlivd by U. Si C. MKKKIAM & CO., 8priiig;tleld. Muss. 



EL ABOGADO CRISTIANO ILUSTRADO. 

(The Illusti-ated Christian Advocate.) 

LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY ILLUSTRATED PAPER IN MEXICO. 

As an Advertising Medium it has no Superior in the Republic. 

No Charge for Translation. 



JOHN W. BUTLER. Publisher, 

CITY OF MEXICO. Mexico. 

General Agent for "TRAVELS IN MEXICO." 



BELL'S INSECT-EXTERMINATOR. 

ALWAYS RELIABLE. 



BELL & GARY, 35 Hanover Street, Boston, Mass. 

Sole Proprietors ^nd Manufacturers. 

Said for Price-Lisis lo Hotel-Men, Grocers, and Druggisis. Any one sending iis $1 .OO, \vc will 
roliirii thciii one )>nnn(l #•'»•»•«•. Send for lestinioniats from tlirvf-j'ittirlhti of the l.eadni); ilolcU .inJ 
Kesiaiininls of ihe United Stales which use 

jij^LL's iNsi:cT-i:xTi:iiMiyA Ton, 

The only Powder that Kills all Insects. 



DeWITT C. NEWELL, 
FLAGSTAFF, Arizona, 

GENERAL MERCHANDISE, 

i:i 11-. i(i\sl^\TIV ON HAM> A It'll. ASI< COMIII'TF. ST(KK HI' 

GROCERIES, CLOTHING, DRY-GOODS, NOTIONS, 

FRUITS, HARDWARE, BOOTS, SHOES, 

HATS, TOBACCO, CIGARS, NEWS, 

WATCHES, JEWELRY, CONFECTIONERY. 

SlercoKopic View* (5x8 .ind 14x17) in New Mexico ;«nd Aruona, (•land C'aAon, and Point> 
on the A & I'. K.K. 

GUIDES FURNISHED FOR GRAND COLORADO CANON. 

xiv 



WITHERBY, RUGG, & RICHARDSON, 



MANUFACTURERS OF 




WOODWORTH 

Planing, Tonguing, & Grooving Machines, 

FARRAR OR ENDLESS-BED PLANERS 

FOR 

SINGLE OR DOUBLE SURFACING, 

DANIELS' PLANERS, BUZZ PLANERS, 




RICHARDSOJSPS 



Patent Improved Tenon Machines, 

Mortising, Moulding, Re-Saw and Band-Saw Machines, 

Picture-Frame and Mitre-Cutting Machines, 

Box Machinery, Patent Double Saw 

Benches, Saw Tables, and 

WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY GENERALLY. 



26 Salisbury Street 



Worcester, 3Iass. 



G. H. Bushnell & Co., 

WORCESTER, MASS., U.S.A., 

(JNICOS FAIiRICANTES DE LAS 

Preiisas Mejoradas " Knuckle-joint," 



HOMBRE, CABALLO, MULO, BUEY, FUERZA DE AGUA, VAPOR. 



Prensa con Mesa Ciratoria, para 
Deposito. 



Prcns:t para Embalar Algodon, 
Lana, etc. 





Baling Cotton, Wool, etc. 
Dc Potcncia, para Chicharrones. 



Press with Revolving 'lable, for 
Tank.ige. 

Pai^ IJso General. 





Power Scrap. 



Kor General Use. 



Nucstr.is Prensa.s opcran con mas rapidcz y facilidad (jue ninguna otr.i, apli- 
canclosc a una gran varicdad de usos, de los cualcs los prnicipalcs son los sigui- 
entes : — 

Para Trabajar el Algodon, la Lana, el Papel, la Pulpa de Madera ; para 
Imprcsores, Curtidores, Zurradores d Aderezadorcs dc Pielcs; para Ex- 
traer Aceites dc Higuereta, dc Linaza, Grasa dc Cochino, dc Pescado y 
Parafina ; para Cera, Encuadcrnadorcs, Cintos d Cinturones, Trapos, 
Hierbas, Frutas, Vino, Mescal, Olcomargarina y Chicharrones. 



Catd logos GrdliSy en Itij^les y en Espaftol, y se Solicita Correspondencia. 



(Vl-MkO Ih |I|(kI»<' <>|lll«lttH.) 

xvi 



Establlstied iSjt. 



Capital $ii,50o,ooo. 



Philip L. Moen, Chas. jF. Washburn, Chas. JI. Afo7\(^an, 

President and Treasurer. Vice-Pres. and Secretary. General Superintendent. 

WASHBURN & MOEN MANUFACTURING CO.. 

WORCESTER, MASS. 




GROVE STREET WORKS, WORCESTER, MASS. 

WIRE-DRAWERS 

And Manufacturers of Iron and Steel Wire of Every Description. 




Iron and Steel Telegraph and Telephone Wire, 

Patent Steel Wire Bale Ties, Pump Chains, Chain Wire, Steel Wire for Springs, 

Needles, and Drills. 
Send for Price-Lists, Circulars, and Descriptive Pamphlets on our Specialties. 
NEW YORK -W^AREHOUSE, CHICAGO "WAREHOUSE, 

i6 CliCf Street. 107 & 109 Eake St. 



HOWARD, BULLOUGH, & RILEY, 

BUILDERS AND IMPORTERS OF 

ENGLISH COTTON 
-^ MACHINERY,^ 



IMPORTERS OF 



WOOL, WORSTED, AND FLAX MACHINERY. 



WORKS, 
ACCRINGTON, ENGLAND. 



AMERICAN OFFICES. 
19 PEARL ST., BOSTON, MASS., 

U.S.A. 




Improved Openers and Lappers; Cards; Drawing, Blubbing, Intermediate and 
Roving, Ring-Spmning, and Twisting Frames; Warpers, Slashers, Looms, 

Presses, etc. ; Self-Acting Cotton and Woollen Mules ; Cards for Wool- 
len and Worsted ; Balling-Heads; and Bank, Scotch, and Blamire Feeds. 



We have 49,000 Intermediate Spindles with Electric Stop Motion, 6,000 Warpers with 
Singleton's Stop Motion, 800 Slashers, at work in America alone. 

IMPROVED CARD 

PULLEYS, ^'TH 

PATENT CONCENTRIC 



SHAFTING 

HANGERS. 

BELTING, 

Etc. 




BEST 

GENERAL 

.0^ MILL 

SUPPLIES. 

See Opposite. 



Estimates <"• t ' ***■"" ^^^- ^^ijjSgmj^^^^S/^^^^^ Corresponrieiice 

ftequest. ^S^^^^^^^^^^ solicited. 

,.\ LD.V CI'KVA tONLRSTKICA, I'ATENTB. 

Tenen 049,000 Husoi intermcdios con Movimiento Electrico de Paralizacion, 6,000 Sin- 
gleton's Hardidoret con Toque de Parada. 800 Engrudadores, en Servicio en America. 

xviu 



HOV/ARD, BUJLLOUGH, & RILEY, 

FAI'.l;lCANTES F. IMPOUTADORES OF. 

MAQUINARIA INGLESA PARA ALGODON, LANA, ESTAMBRE, Y LINO. 

Arguitectos de Molinos y Manufacturas. Ingeniei'os de los Mismos. 

Talleres. Oficinas en America. 

ACCRINGTON, INGLATERRA. 19 PEARL ST.. BOSTON. MASS, U.S.A. 




Po/eas, Barras, Colgaderos, Correas, etc.. se suministra todo litil de Fdbricas. 




^ to « 



Our Mnchinery can be delivered in Liverpool or Vera Cruz, shipped direct from Eiigl.ind, or c.tr be 
shipped through the United States in bond, Z'itt Mexican Central Railway. We are prepared to give 
any information regarding the alteration or re-organization of any Mill, and also to furnish complete 
plans, etc. Send for circulars. Correspondence solicited. (See opposite page.) 

Nuestra maqiiinaria puede entregarse en Liverpool 6 Vera Cruz, rcmetiendola directamente de 
Inglaterra, 6 de los Estados Unidos, bajo de fianza, " in bond," por el Kerrocarril C'enlr,il Mejicano. 

Estamos prontos a dar todo infonne respecto .t ciiaU|iilcr alleiacion 6 reorgaiiizarion de cualqiiier 
fabrica y tambien suministramos planes completos, etc. Remilase por circulates. Se solicila corre- 
.spondeiicia. (Vease 'a pagina opuesta.) six 



FAIRBANKS' STANDARD SCALES. 

They are Correct in Principle. 
They are Accurate. 
They are made of Best Ma- 
terial, and by the Most Skilful 
and Careful Workmen, 

Ami tticy combine 

ElfERriMPROI/EMENT 

which the broad experience of a 
large business of half a ccniurjr af- 

^ , ^ ._ ^_ „ ^, ,„ ., fords. Evcr>' variety, as Hay, Coal, 

Counter, and Platform Scales, of all sizes 'ajui_ for alWiscs^^am^he lowest prices con- 

sistent with reliable work. The 
manufacturers have never been 
induced by competition to devi- 
ate from their original purpose 
of making only perfect balances. 
In view of the very arcM 
amount of property which in the 
course of years is weighed upt)n 
a single scale, and the fact, that, 
in ordinary business, a (j(M>d 
scale will last a lifetime, it is 
obviouiily poor economy to risk 
the purchase of any but the best 
for the sake of a slight saving in 

first cosL The entire value of ; — T v V' . ii .:„, 

the weighing-scale dciwnds uixm ius accuracy and rcli^ibUity at all Unie- 
only wo^lhle^s, but may cause a heavy Kss to the user. 

ADAPTED TO THE STANDARDS OF ALL NATIONS. 




Rai 




Also for .sale MlIes'H Alarm Till, or Patent Safery Money- 
rir.-»wcr, Store TrucUs of all kinds, coiree-MlllH, I^et- 

ter-PreSSCH, and other Store Furniture; also the KaitCOCK 

IllHplrator, the be>t boiler-feeder in the market, and the celebrated 

Paper PolisliiiiK-Wlieels. 






PRINCIPAL WAREHOUSES 



& Co. 
& O). 
& Co. 
& Co. 
& Co. 
& Co. 
Kt Crt. 
& Co. 
& C). 
& Co. 
Jt Co. 
& Co. . . . 

ItxDWN, S: Co. 

MoKSK, <i Co. 

M.IKSK, & Co 

MoKSK, & Co. 
MOKSH, J4 Co. 
MoKsK. Jt Co. 

iv HircHiN-iris 



311 Broadway, N.Y. 

''..',. 17 light Street, Baltimore, Md. 

53 Camp Street, New Orleans. I-n. 

* * ' ■ . 216 .Main Street, Buffalo, N.\. 

*■■■'... 38^ Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 

. 377 St. Paul S'trcci, Montreal. 

" . . . Ixindon, Kngland. 

Iji's Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Penn. 

■ * ■ . . 48 W.Kxl Street, Pittsburg, Penn. 

; 3M and 304 W.-whingtoii Avenue, St Ixiuis. Mo. 

■• . . , . 381 Hl.tke Street, Denver, CoU 

268. .Meridian Street, lndianai>oli», Inil. 

. . 8j Milk Street, Boston. Mass. 

Cor. l-ake St. and Kifih Ave., Chicago. 

'. . , I J5 W.alnut Street, Cmcmnaii, (». 

I *. . 103 Sui>crior Strecl, Cleveland, <>. 

Fifth aiid Main Streets, I-ouisvdle. ky. 

66 K. Third Street, St. Paul, Mum. 

4„i Market Strcei. S.m Francisco, Cal. 



Manufactured solely by E. «t T. FAIRBANKS &- CO, 

St. Johnsbury, Vermont. 



MEXICAN RESOURCES 



AND 



GUIDE TO MEXICO 




A SUPPLEMENTAL VOLUME TO "TRAYELS IN MEXICO.' 



FREDERICK A. OBER. 



BOSTON, 1884. 
PRICE, 50 CENTS. 



RAYMOND'S VAC/\TI0I\I EXCURSIONS, 



ALL TRAVELLING EXPENSES INCLUDED. 



Tourist I'artics. imdcr our well-known system of travelling, will visit 



MEXICO 



during the season of 1SS4-85, and subsequently from time to time. 



EXPERIENCED CONDUCTORS AND GUIDES 

will have charge of each party. 

FREEDOM FROM CARE, 

such as is enjoyed by our parties, will be especially appreciated in travelling 

through Mexico. 

W. RAYMOND. I. A. WHITCOMB. 



For full Particulars address 



W. RAYMOND, 

240 Washington Street, 

BOSTON, MASS. 



LI- Je "07 



if SIIISS AID f 1,148111 f iif IL 



AND WINTER. 





TOURS AND 



EXCURSIONS. 



Persons who are called from home during any season of the year, 
proposing to travel to points 



Niagara Falls, 

Thousand Islands, 

Rapids of St. Lawrence, 

Canada, 

Maritime Provinces, 

Mt, Desert, 

White Mountains, 




Florida, 

Cuba, 

Nassau, N. P., 

Mexico, 

Bermuda, 

Windward Islands, 

Etc., Etc., Etc. 



will consult their best interests by calling upon A/essrs. LEVE & ALDEN. 
who offer their combination 'tours, COVERING ANY DESIRED 
ROUTE, and effecting a considerable saving off local rates. 

Send for copy of "AMERICAN TOURIST GAZETTE," the most 
complete publication of its kind. 



nil \ ALDEfl, Totti«i?t figenlg, 



CMef Qice ? 2Q?' il04iW4T, 



fp._tawii Oic?; 5 USIOH SQUARE, 



NEW YORK. 
206 Washington St., Boston, Mass. Cor. Broad and Chestnut Sts., Phlla., Pa. 



E^~ Messrs. Leve & Alden are also General Passenger Agents in the United 
States for the ALLAN LINE Royal Mail Steamships, leaving every Saturday from 
Quebec for Liverpool. This route offers the Shortest Ocean Voyage to Europe. 




\.Wl 4 KVOVH VRVHT ceo 



